Acamara Lotus
by missmandymalfoy
Summary: "I found something in our research, it's called a full body kiss," his voice was thick. In the dim light, Hermione could make out the pink tinge of his cheekbones. He was close to her now, the air between them suffocating. She didn't need an Empathy Link to recognize this feeling. "What is that?" she said throatily. "Let me show you," he whispered, and he sealed his mouth to hers.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of the characters or places in the books.

Rated M for adult themes/mature content.

* * *

October 16, 1996

"Harry, why would you tie your shoelaces together when you know you have to get up in the next two minutes?" Hermione face palmed as the wizarding world's last hope tripped and collapsed onto the ground in a dramatic heap. He muttered something unintelligible about the elasticity of shoelaces before attempting to right himself by grabbing onto Ron. Unfortunately, this resulted in taking Harry's red headed comrade down with him. Hermione didn't bother to hide it when she rolled her eyes and let out an over exaggerated sigh.

"Quickly now, we have much to do!" Slughorn crowed from the front of the room. The potions class shuffled reluctantly up to where their professor was hopping excitedly from foot to foot in front of a small black cauldron. When Hermione got close enough, she tilted her chin upwards a bit in order to see the contents.

The potion was Persian blue and had a glassy surface. It was oddly alluring, and she felt herself being drawn towards it- a strange temptation for such an innocent looking potion.

The potions master cut into her thoughts. "Gather round, gather round. Don't be shy! Mister Finnigan, please do watch your footing, we don't want this spilling now."

Once everyone was situated, Slughorn began. "Now, can anyone tell me what this potion is?" he gestured towards the cauldron. As expected, no one said anything. His unkept eyebrow rose high on his forehead, resembling an agile caterpillar. When his gaze rested on Hermione in surprise, she blushed in shame. "Very well," he cleared his throat, obviously not expecting to have to explain. He really was too reliant on the intelligent Gryffindor.

"This," he shook his hand in what he thought was a grand manner (it looked more like a flailing hippopotamus, but best not to burst his bubble) "Is the Acamara Lotus potion."

"Why haven't I heard of it before?" Hermione blurted out before she could stop herself. She could feel the eyes of her classmates on her, and heard a few sniggers-mainly originating from the Slytherin half of the room.

"What a wonderful question! Five points to Gryffindor!" Harry clapped Hermione on the back, causing her to almost go toppling forward. "You have never heard of it because it has been outlawed globally and carries heavy fines such as imprisonment and execution for possession!" Throughout his spiel his voice never lost its upbeat tone.

Ron crinkled his forehead. "Is it legal for it to be in here?"

"Details, details," Slughorn waved his hand dismissively. "Anyways, the Acamara Lotus potion is a form of love potion. It does not create false love, and cannot create any form of infatuation," there was a chorus of sighs of disappointment sounding from the girls. "Acamara Lotus is closely related to Amortentia. It gives off a distinct scent to each person. Two people in love with each other will smell the same thing. In old times, it was used to determine matches and loyalty in marriages. As you can suspect, this ended in many tragedies..."

Lavender raised her hand, shocking everyone in the room when she asked a valid question. "What if the person smelling it isn't in love with anyone?"

"What a wonderful question! Five points to Gryffindor!" Slughorn rewarded, not hearing the threatening grumbles from the Slytherins. "If a person is not in love with someone, they still catch a scent from the potion. It takes on the smell of the person destined for you. This could be someone you haven't met yet, or someone you have been around your entire life." His eyes took on a wistful look for a couple of seconds while Parvati sighed in merriment at the idea of true love written in the stars.

Dean Thomas threw his arm in the air, catching Lavender in the nose and causing her to fall to the floor. "Why is it banned, then? It doesn't sound dangerous," he asked curiously.

"It is because of the results of the side affects of the potion. Nothing major-" Slughorn began, but he was interrupted by Hermione,

"Not to be rude, professor, but I think the side affects might be a bit dangerous if it has been outlawed in 196 countries."

"It's because of the mere properties of the potion, and what it has caused the 'sniffers', if you will, to do. Highly addictive stuff. Unfortunately, it has resulted in several divorced couples and murders. But, that's a history lesson for another time." Slughorn clapped his hands together. "So, whose going to smell it first?"

Unsurprisingly, no one stepped forward.

"I suppose I'll go, break the ice," Slughorn chuckled to himself as he stooped down and inhaled deeply. A wide smile spread across his mouth and a relaxed expression crossed his face. Harry, Ron and Hermione exchanged weary looks. "I smell lemons and fresh rat droppings."

"So that's why he's single," Harry breathed in Hermione's ear, and she had to clutch her throat in the universal "I'm dying" gesture in order to keep from laughing out loud.

Slughorn straightened up after a moment and decided it would be a good time to address the class.

"Be careful not to get too close, this potion can create mild hallucinations of a sort, so don't hang about it for too long," Slughorn explained as he inhaled deeply, going a bit cross eyed before shaking his head as if in denial.

"What kind of hallucinations, professor?" Pansy Parkinson piped up.

"Oh, I once had a friend who saw Hungarian Horntails flying about his house in search of a magical cheese that only Merlin himself possessed."

"How long did it last?" concern marred the dark haired girl's brow.

"Just long enough for him to demolish his house and move to France. He still resides there today, actually. So twenty five and two thirds of an hour, I believe."

"Moral of the story, smell it, then get out," Ron muttered, whilst Harry shuddered at the thought of Hungarian Horntails following him around.

"Let's try this again, anyone want to volunteer?" More silence. "Looks like I'lll choose a victim! Ah, Mr. Weasely!" Ron slouched down as Slughorn grabbed him and practically shoved him towards the potion. "Have at it!"

Ron's red head tentatively dipped downwards and ever so slowly, his nostrils flared, signifying that he had sniffed. The Head of Slytherin bounced up and down in anticipation. "Well? What do you smell?"

The young Weasley scratched his head and frowned as he said, "Fresh dirt and the air after a rainstorm."

"Artsy," Dean commented.

"Thank you," Ron returned back to his spot next to Hermione, who gave him a reassuring look.

"Harry, my boy, you next!"

The Boy-Who-Lived slunk up to the potion, giving it a weary look before saying, "I smell…is that mango vanilla body butter? And moisturizer, of the advanced variety."

"Looks like your lover has got dry skin," Seamus said, and Harry shrugged before retreating back.

Hermione listened with interest as her classmates went up one by one and smelled the glossy potion. Seamus smelled chocolate chip cookies fresh out of the oven, accompanied with sea salt. Lavender apparently smelled hot coca "without the marshmallows" she claimed, and new blankets.

As Hermione nervously approached the potion, she caught Harry's eye, who gave her an encouraging thumbs up. Smiling at him, she inhaled deeply, and was immediately overwhelmed by a pleasant scent.

The sweet smell of honeysuckle tickled her nose. She sniffed again, catching a deeper, woodsy scent. Pine, she decided, fresh and green and clean. The unmistakable smell of parchment also caught her attention. Hermione frowned slightly at the distinct mixture of scents. Sighing, she reluctantly pulled herself away from the surprisingly comforting smell and dutifully reported back to the class, "There's honeysuckle, pine and parchment."

It was onto the Slytherin side of the room now. Crabbe was thunking his way up to the cauldron right now. "Bumble bees," he grunted, before making the long and difficult trek back to his spot less than a meter away. He nearly bent over to catch his breath when Seamus asked in bewilderment, "How do you know what bumble bees smell like?"

"I had a friend who had a pet bumble once. It was rather soft. I could pet it with a single finger."

"You're completely ruining the Slytherin image," Draco Malfoy groaned from the side, but the rest of the class was in shock that Crabbe had managed to piece together a coherent and fluent sentence.

Theodore Nott, a weedy boy who was too skinny and too tall, slid his way up to the cauldron. Closing his dark eyes, he inhaled deeply, before opening his eyes and staring at the wall.

"Well?" Slughorn prompted. Theodore blinked once before stating, "Blood, O negative" he deadpanned, and walked out of the room in a solemn silence, leaving an even creepier silence behind him.

"Er,"

"Anywho!"

"Let's keep this moving," Slughorn decided, before he picked out Neville, who was hiding behind Seamus' wide shoulders. The poor boy stumbled his way to the front of the group, and sniffed eagerly for a few seconds.

"Nuts. Or balls. It's a toss up between the two, really. Whichever you prefer."

…

"Er…what kind of nuts, Neville?" Seamus bravely asked.

"Walnuts…and a dash of peanuts. Or perhaps a hint of almonds. Why do you ask?"

"And the balls?"

"The rubber ones. Not the material that quaffles are made out of, slightly softer. Less leathery. Why do you ask?" Neville repeated himself.

The Irish boy looked at the ceiling in a supposedly innocent manner. "Oh, no reason."

"Really, why?"

"Nothing to worry about, no worries. Just _clarifying_."

"What are you-" Neville was left spluttering in confusion, his face a few shades darker than Ron's hair.

The rest of the class went quickly, and before they knew it, Slytherin's prince was next. He leisurely stepped up to the potion and inhaled quickly. "Some sort of tree, pine I think, and er, honeysuckle and parchment." Slughorn nodded in approval and Draco was on his way back to his seat when Harry's eyes widened.

"Waiittttt a second."

"Oh merlin oh merlin oh merlin."

Meanwhile, Hermione was frozen.

 _Honeysuckle, pine and parchment._

The rest of the class slowly began catching on.

"The apocalypse has come, kids."

"Did what happened really just happen?"

 _Honeysuckle, pine and parchment._

"There has to be some mistake. Are you sure you brewed that potion correctly, old man?" Ron poked a finger at Slughorn, who quivered and cowered under it, making Ron puff out his chest proudly.

"There are no faults in it, Mr. Weasley."

 _Honeysuckle, pine and parchment._

"But…But!" Harry began to desperately search for a response, but found he was tongue tied.

 _Honeysuckle, pine and parchment._

On the other side of the room, Draco wasn't doing any better.

"Hermione can't love Malfoy!" Ron finally exploded.

Parvati squealed. "He's right! This is too good to be true!"

"It's beautiful!" Lavender crooned.

"It is not! It's a tragedy! A disaster! A catastrophe and a calamity!" the angry red head shouted.

"I didn't know you knew words that big," Harry said with a dazed expression.

"Neither did I," Ron responded.

"Malfoy must have poisoned her, or has Hermione under some sort of spell!" Seamus accused, and Pansy put a protective hand on Draco's arm.

"You've got it backwards, Finnigan! Draco wouldn't lower himself to such scum!" she all but screeched.

"Hermione, how could you do this to us! We thought you were our friend!" Dean clawed at his eyes. Hermione slammed her hands down on the table in front of her, effectively getting everyones attention.

"Has no one thought to ask me, or Malfoy, about any of this? No! For all of your information, I do not love Malfoy. I never have and I never will. And I can guarantee you that the feeling is mutual."

"Couldn't have said it better myself," Draco said dryly.

"Watch it Malfoy, that almost sounded like a compliment," growled Hermione.

"It's love!" Harry cried, covering his eyes.

"NO IT'S NOT!" the brunette witch yelled, face flushing slightly.

Lavender raised her hands in a calming motion. "Now I think everyone should calm down, love doesn't have laws, and it can happen between anyone-"

"There has to be a logical explanation to all of this," Dean said, adjusting his head lock on Ron to better suit him. All eyes turned to Slughorn for guidance.

"There could be something wrong with the potion…perhaps I'll look into it, in the safety of my office…" Slughorn all but ran- as fast as his weight could allow him at least- to his office door, and bolted it before anyone could breathe a single word of protest.

The bell had long since rung, and the next class began filing in the dungeon door. Finally, someone decided to see logically. "Guys, we are being ridiculous. I mean really, Hermione and the ferret? Never going to happen," Harry laughed nervously, wiping sweat from his brow. A few other people gave some awkward chuckles.

"Finally someone with some sense!" Hermione cried in exasperation, throwing her hands in the air. Everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. "What are we waiting here for? We have to get to class!" Hermione suddenly cried, and began rushing about to gather her things. Her friends had no choice but to run after her, leaving the curious and suspicious whispers about the recent events behind them.

Following potions class, Hermione had dragged Ginny Weasley to the kitchens the first chance she got. It was the only place in the castle that she could talk in peace without receiving weird looks from gossiping classmates. Not to mention Hermione had a knack for stress-eating.

She sighed loudly and said for what must have been for the hundredth time, "I don't get it. How can you be in love with someone and not know it?" Hermione rested her chin on her hands, kicking the table leg moodily. Ginny poured some tea into a cup for her before setting the pot down and sitting across from the distressed witch.

"I don't know. You tell me. You're the one who's experiencing it," she shrugged wisely. Hermione blew her hair out of her eyes in frustration.

"I mean, I can't be in love with him. He's Malfoy," the older witch said, as if this were explanation enough. Ginny looked unconvinced.

"Uh huh. So what would Ron and Harry say if you really were in love with him?"

That was an easy one. "That it is an abomination to human nature and that I'm a traitor," Hermione explained with ease.

"And what would you say?"

"Er…ew?"

Ginny's eyebrow arched. "Now what would you really say?"

Hermione sighed in defeat and dropped her eyes to the floor. "Well," she began softly, "He is sort of attractive, for a sub-human I suppose," Hermione buried her face into her arms. Ginny patted her arm and pushed the tea cup towards her.

"Do you know what I think you should do?" Ginny asked after a moment had past. Expectantly, Hermione lifted her head and met Ginny's blue gaze.

"What?"

"I think you should think, and I mean really think, about how you feel about all of this. Not about how others feel, not about how Ron and Harry feel, about how _you_ feel,"

"Disgust and endless dismay?" she tried.

"Stop lying to yourself." Ginny snorted, waving her hand about as if to shoo away the lies.

Eyes widening in exasperation, Hermione immediately bolted upright, her back straighter than a spine of a book. "What?! I'm not lying! Malfoy is an evil, foul little git who gets joy in life from making other people's lives miserable."

"So if you're so certain about that, then why are you here?" Ginny swirled in some more milk into her tea, blowing on it unconcernedly.

"Huh?" Hermione asked dumbly.

"If you really do believe what you just said about Malfoy being a foul evil little git and all, then why are you allowing yourself to stress over this? If you know for a fact that you don't have any feelings for him, then you shouldn't be fretting," Ginny said patiently. The girl picked up a biscuit and tore it in half, eyeing each part hungrily. "Besides, little boy Malfoy was a rude cockroach and all those things you said before. But big boy Malfoy is more mature, responsible, hot, and he's got a great ass." To accent her point, she bit into the biscuit bun aggressively. Hermione finally understood the imagery Ginny was trying to get across.

Hermione mulled the words over in her mind as she took a sip of Ginny's tea. She most definitely did not think about Malfoy's shapely ass. Or the way his pants always seemed to grip it just right. Dammit, that boy needed to stop wearing tight pants.

 _Or just stop wearing pants all together._

 _Bad, bad, bad Hermione! Quick, take your mind off of Malfoy and think of something Earth-shattering._

 _Snape washing his hair with shampoo?_

 _There we go._

"You have a point, I suppose," Hermione stated glumly, before pushing the cup away again. Thoughts firmly gathered away from Malfoy's firm ass, she continued, "But the potion-"

"Magic can make mistakes, Hermione. It's not always perfect, everything has flaws…and everyone has flaws," Ginny finished the last part quietly, which made Hermione look at her oddly over her teacup. There was something in the way she said it, as if there was something she wasn't letting out.

"What are you saying?" Hermione asked slowly.

The younger girl sighed and ran a hand through her glossy red hair. "I'm just saying that…it's okay if you have feelings for Malfoy. It's not a sin, you know,"

"The way everyone reacted today, you would think it was," the brunette pointed out matter-of-factly, but Ginny shook her head.

"But you should be the judge of that."

The two sat in silence for a little bit more before Hermione pushed her chair backwards and stretched. "I should get going, if I want to make it to the Prefects meeting in time," she said. "But thank you for meeting me here on such short notice," Hermione gestured around the kitchen, where the house elves had gladly welcomed them in. The youngest Weasely gave a 'Don't mention it' wave of her hand, accompanied with,

"That's what friends are for. Besides, you can't really have girl talk with Harry and Ron," she giggled slightly at the thought.

As Hermione opened the door, a thought crossed her head, causing her to turn around.

"Hey, Ginny?"

"Hmm?"

"Out of curiosity, what do you think of all of this?"

"I think you'd be crazy to let a love like this go," Ginny said plainly and simply. But this situation could be described as anything but those two words. Hermione frowned pensively.

"But I know for a fact that I don't love him."

"Do you?"

* * *

Word had spread fast about the dreaded Potions incident and many students were already staring and pointing at Draco openly, as if he were some sort of walking, festering _disease_. He supposed he was, seeing as he was apparently in love with Gryffindor's muggle-born extraordinaire, bookworm _and_ best friend of the Boy-That-Just-Won't-Die.

And, going back to the staring and pointing, it wasn't as if people didn't already _do_ that. The blond was used to it by now and relished in the attention. He was Draco Malfoy, after all. He was godly. The mortals worshipped the ground he walked upon.

In theory, of course.

"I think it is safe to say that this was unexpected."

"Shut up, Blaise." Draco's threat was ignored as the two stalked through the corridor to their next class. Their robes billowed out behind them in a threatening manner, but it was nothing compared to Snape's bat-like cape. One could only try. Temporarily side tracked, Draco queried,

"How do you think Snape does that robe swishing thing?"

The two paused in thought. "Blower under the robes?"

"Hmm."

"Do you want to check under his robes to confirm? Oh yeah, I forgot, the only robes _you_ want to look under are Granger's."

"Blaise-"

"What are you going to do, date me? Oh, the _horror_."

" _Blaise_ -"

"Oh right, you've already got yours eyes set on a certain someone."

"I'd love to agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong."

"You're hilarious," Blaise simpered.

Draco smirked. "It makes up for your lack of personality."

"And he's charming, too," the put out Italian stalked ahead of his friend. Grinning in triumph, Draco stretched his arms out in front of him, relaxing the previously tense muscles. It felt good to unwind a bit despite the odd events the day had thrown at him.

A series of giggles sounded from beside Draco. He looked at a group of fifth years girls who were blushing and staring at the muscles of his arms and shoulders that he had purposefully put on display during his stretching exercise. He threw them a playful wink and carded his fingers through his silky hair, non-too subtly flexing his bicep. The girls collapsed in puddles of goo, making Draco smirk contently.

Blaise rolled his eyes at the blond's vanity. Eager to pull Draco's attention back to the entertaining subject matter at hand, he thumped Draco on the back.

"Hey, you know what man, I support you and Granger. You're better for her than that meat head Viktor Krum," Blaise's eye twitched as he recalled their fourth year. It had been a particularly rough year- the girls who usually swooned over him had transferred their interest to Krum. It still stung his pride. "I hope the snitch takes out his eyeball," he said menacingly.

"I'll borrow a bludger up his arse," Draco grinned and Blaise cackled.

"You can try, snowflake."

"You doubt me?"

"I'm worried you'll be too distracted by Granger to do anything," a smirk snaked onto Blaise's features, and Draco all but growled.

Blaise must've had a death wish because he continued on, blissfully ignorant of Draco's clenching fists. "I mean, a forbidden, illicit, _torrid_ love affair blossoming between my best mate and _the_ Hermione Granger. Whose attention wouldn't be shot?" A low whistle followed this statement. Malfoy tried to speed up his pace to put distance between him and the nuisance he somehow called a friend, but he was matched step for step.

"Blaise, shut the hell up," Draco groaned, his irritation quickly swelling. He pinched the bridge of his nose and breathed deeply, trying to control the annoyance that had only continued to grow as the day carried on.

"Maybe we _should_ have seen this coming. All of that sexual tension, so thick you can cut it with a knife-"

"Blaise!" Draco spun around and gripped the front of his fellow Slytherin's robes. Blaise made a choking sound and his eyes bugged slightly as he stared at the angry blond before him.

"You can't deny it, Drake!" His eyes were bulging now as he clawed at Draco's hands. The other boy growled,

"Don't call me that. And drop this subject, _now_." Passing students were starting to stare, and Draco was sure it wasn't because of his radiant beauty. He bared his teeth at anyone who dared look in his direction. They scurried along quickly, fear piercing through their hearts. No one would dare cross the Slytherin Prince.

"Okay, okay!" Blaise rasped in defeat, throwing his arms up in a flailing fashion in order to get his point across. Draco narrowed his eyes at him before he loosened his grip- but only slightly. Blaise's leather shoes barely grazed the ground as Draco lowered him some more.

"You getting so defensive about this will make people suspicious, Draco," Blaise croaked, rubbing at his neck and collar bone. Draco growled, but Blaise continued. "I'm just saying, mate, you might want to keep your emotions in check, or people will assume the worst."

The blond blinked several times. That thought hadn't dawned on him. He dropped Blaise to the floor with a thud and ran his hands through his hair, effectively disheveling it in a way that would make most females coo.

Blaise, not being a female, grunted loudly in displeasure from his spot on the floor. He quickly stood and brushed himself off, wildly looking this way and that to make sure no one saw his moment of ungracefulness. Unfortunately for him, there was a still a gaggle of fifth year girls standing nearby, all of whom giggled loudly as they watched him. The Italian's cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

After growling some colorful words which Draco pointedly ignored, the two parted ways. But Blaise's warning was still ringing through his head. He'd have to stay away from Granger from now on, no exceptions.

* * *

To say that Hermione avoided Malfoy like the plague for the rest of the day would be an understatement.

She was ducking behind bookshelves, peering around corners in the corridors before she walked around them, and checking her surroundings constantly.

Because you see, discovering that you are apparently in love with Malfoy does that kind of thing to you.

"You know, I really didn't think he was your type," Fay Dunbar spread marmalade on her roll, causing Hermione to cringe slightly as the girl shoved it in her mouth.

"My type?" Hermione asked, subtly shuffling away from her dorm mate. Fay nodded, but her mouth was full of roll, so Lavender took over for her.

"Yeah, you're type. The kind of guy you'd go for. I guess we were always picturing a more down to earth guy, nerdy, glasses, with a passion for books and learning and…whatever it is that you are passionate about." Lavender explained, and Fay bobbed her head up and down in agreement.

"Then again," Lavender started again, tapping her chin with a manicured finger. "I could totally picture you going for your polar opposite. Tall, dark and dangerous. Add a bit of spice to your life, you feel?"

"Not really," Hermione sighed. "And Malfoy doesn't really fit that description. Tall, maybe, dangerous, it certainly depends on the situation. I bet you if he had to deal with a hippogriff he'd run the other way before you could say Buckbeak. And dark? He's a bit pale and…colorless. He lack's pigment. And don't get me started on his hair. It's a beacon," Hermione shuddered.

"He's dark in a figurative sense," Fay offered, her eyes resting on the Slytherin across the room. "It's pretty attractive," her eyes lingered for a bit longer before she pulled them back to Hermione.

"I bet he'd bring out the wild side in you."

"My wild side," Hermione restated dumbly.

"Yeah! You know, the animalistic part that comes out when you're in the sack!" Fay exclaimed a bit too loudly for Hermione's tastes. Red tinged her cheeks as several people looked her way and started whispering amongst themselves.

As expected, news of the 'Hermione and Draco love fest' had spread like wild fire. Officially dubbed as 'Dramione' by the evening edition of the _Hogwarts Rattler,_ Hermione was on the receiving end of many odd reactions from her fellow classmates. She had gotten an array of death threats from Malfoy's Fan Club, accusations of slipping him love potions and other treasonous actions of the sort, whilst at the same time she was a damsel in distress who was suffering under Malfoy's reign. Others fully embraced the idea of the couple being together, which had come as a shock to Hermione. That particular group used a certain word to describe the relationship- "Finally" said in an exasperated tone, or "So much sexual tension" in another.

"He's so…dramatic," Hermione decided as she cautiously stole a glance at the platinum blond seated in the middle of a sea of green.

"Well, life would never get boring with him by your side then," Fay winked. Shuddering, Hermione glanced over at Malfoy again, and almost fell out of her chair when she saw that he was already looking at her. The stormy grey gaze was held for a couple of seconds before he mouthed "Library, now" and gave her a very pointed look. Her throat suddenly restricted and the air seemed too hot. Hermione tore her eyes away, trying to ignore the fact that she could still feel his own eyes resting on her.

"What are we talking about here?" Harry slid into the seat next to Hermione, Ron taking the spot across from them.

"Hermione's type," Lavender said, and Hermione began choking on her pumpkin juice. They were _not_ going to have this conversation now, in front of two boys she thought of as brothers.

"And her animalistic tendencies," Fay supplied, causing Harry to scratch his head in confusion and Ron to turn a few shades darker than his hair again.

Ah, so he understood.

"Anyways!" Hermione cut in before things could get worse, but Harry-stupid Harry- decided that the subject needed further discussion.

"What do you mean her-"

"Not important, mate," Ron was now very red, and Hermione felt herself coloring.

"I think I'm going to go back to the common room, I'm a bit tired," Hermione gave an over exaggerated yawn, all the while watching the blond head as it slipped out of the Great Hall.

"But it's dinner…you can't miss dinner," Ron argued, not able to wrap his head around the fact that Hermione didn't think eating was as essential at the moment as he did.

"Are you feeling okay, Hermione? I know it's been a weird day for you, maybe I should walk you back to the common room to make sure you get there alright," Harry began to stand up, but Hermione pressed down on his shoulders roughly, causing him to fall back into his seat with a startled look on his face.

"I feel fine, I think I can manage the walk by myself. See you later, alright?" She wasn't sure what caused that sudden wave of irritation, but before either party could argue, Hermione bolted out of the Great Hall and in the direction of the library.

* * *

He was at the very back table, in the dimly lit corner that Hermione loved to study in. The library was empty except for the two of them, everyone else was at dinner. She tried to ignore her racing heart and the blood thundering in her ears as she approached him, and instead focused on why he could have called her here.

Well, despite the very obvious reason of them apparently being in love.

"You're late."

The surprise of his voice was almost enough to make Hermione stop walking. "I didn't know we were on a schedule," she muttered, pulling out a chair and plopping down in it in a rather unladylike fashion.

Malfoy smirked at her. "You certainly kept me waiting. Twenty minutes is hardly fashionably late. You know, I was starting to worry that you hadn't picked up on my basic social cues that you should meet me here."

"You're hardly a social butterfly, Malfoy. Now let's get to some more of your social cues so I can get out of here and away from you." Her arms crossed over her chest in a defensive manner. He sneered.

"Have you finished listening to yourself talk?"

With a growing fury, Hermione snapped, "Look, I don't know what happened today, but it would be best to forget it."

Instead of answering like a normal human being would, Malfoy's eyes narrowed accusingly. "Don't you dare go spreading around lies that I love you, because I don't."

Hermione clutched her heart. "You don't?" the blond looked shocked for a moment until her blatant sarcasm registered.

"Is that clear?" he growled at her, and Hermione had to wonder if he could actually hold a regular conversation.

"Crystal," she smiled sweetly at him.

His hand slammed around her wrist like an iron cuff link, the slap against her skin loud in the tense silence. Her skin burned and Hermione tried to wrench her arm back, but his fingers dug into her skin. "Don't patronize me," Malfoy hissed, and her false grin immediately slipped off her face as an incredible anger bubbled inside of her and threatened to surface. Releasing her arm, Malfoy swept past her, ignoring her sudden rage. Hermione stood up as well, fists clenched at her sides and her wrist throbbing. As she watched his retreating back and tried to quash her overwhelming resentment, she couldn't help but think Acamara Lotus was faulty. He was a cruel, cruel boy, who hid behind insults and mean words to conceal his own insecurities.

The potion was wrong. No one could ever love Draco Malfoy.

* * *

"Hey Herms, where've you been?" Harry chirped when Hermione entered the Gryffindor common room.

Ron frowned in suspicion. "Yeah, I thought you said you were coming back here. But when we came up to check on you, you weren't here…"

Hermione smiled in what she hoped look like a sheepish expression. "I got side-tracked and swung by the library to see if Madam Pince had a book on hold for me. I've been dying to read it," There, squash all suspicion. She wasn't being entirely untruthful. The strict librarian did indeed have a book on hold for her, as soon as the person who currently had it returned it.

As expected, the two boy's face crunched into repulsion at the mention of the library, which by extension was a mention of books, which by extension was a mention of classes, which meant learning, by extension homework, extend some more and you get Slytherins, which by extension led to Snape. And they hated Snape. So naturally, Harry and Ron hated the library. It only made sense.

Harry scooted over from his spot on the sofa to give her a place to sit, and Hermione happily obliged, sinking into the comfortable cushions. Harry looked on with sympathy. "Rough day, huh? I'm surprised we haven't had to bring you to the hospital wing yet. It's not everyday you find out you're in love with Malfoy," he teased her lightly, and Hermione actually shuddered.

"Not going to lie, I thought you'd be in a state of comatose right now. I surely would be," Ron trailed off in thought. "Well, I would be after I made sure to kill him. Painfully. And slowly. Then I would be able to relax in a calm state of mind."

"You gave us quite the scare, Hermione," Harry continued on, not at all affected by the dreamy look that had now taken over Ron's face as he imagined fun ways to kill Malfoy. At one point, Hermione thought she heard Ron mutter "shish-kabob" but she couldn't be sure.

"The potion was obviously faulty," she leaned backwards and let the warmth of the fire wash over her.

"Obviously," Harry agreed empathetically, patting her on the knee.

"The day you love Malfoy is the day I eat my shirt!" Ron exclaimed exuberantly.

Oh Ronald, you shouldn't have said that.


	2. Chapter 2

October 17th, 1996

Sunlight streamed through the- wait, that wasn't right. There weren't any windows in the dungeons. Where was that light coming from then? Draco opened his eyes blearily as he flopped onto his back, only to be completely blinded by a burning white light. "Ah!" he exclaimed, batting at it as if it would make the light and the newly born headache go away. In his haste, Draco lost his balance and toppled out of bed.

"Oh good, you're awake!" A voice exclaimed cheerfully from above him. Rubbing his head and pushing hair out of his eyes, Draco glared up at Blaise, whose wand tip was alight with a strongly cast _lumos._

 _"_ What the bloody hell are you doing?" the angry blond exclaimed. Everyone knew never to wake Draco up, especially before seven in the morning. On the weekends, if one so much as breathed around Draco before noon, they were susceptible to severe hexing. A cursory glance at the clock showed it was 6:45. Growling, Draco sat up, and he was slightly appeased when Blaise backed up a few steps. Spreading his hands in a placating manner, Blaise retreated as the blond advanced.

"I thought you might want to shower before your big day today."

"Big day?"

"The day you and Granger finally meet for the first time as star crossed lovers, of course!"

His teeth ground together and his eye twitched menacingly. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't hex your skin green," Draco clenched his wand. Blaise twitched for a moment, then said,

"Goyle had an excessive amount of shepherd's pie last night, and we both know that wreaks havoc on his bowels-" before Blaise could finish Draco was flying into the bathroom before Goyle could smell up the bathroom.

By the time Draco was out of the shower, Blaise had fled from the dormitory. Good thing too, or Draco would have had some words with him about waking Draco up in such an unholy manner. Who wanted to wake up to light? Sometimes Draco just wished he was a bat, or Snape, because either one probably slept upside down in the dark where no one disturbed them.

Now disturbed with himself for this strange line of thought, Draco fled from the dormitory as well. Unfortunately, he was still slightly disoriented from his normal sleep schedule being disturbed, and he slipped down the stairs. Good thing that first year was there to break his fall or he could have been really hurt!

Pansy saddled up beside him as he walked through the common room. "Draco," she simpered, and for a second Draco debated going back and throwing the first year who was still on the floor at her so that he could escape. "We didn't get a chance to chat yesterday."

"That was purposeful."

Either ignoring his jibe or simply not registering it, Pansy blathered on. "I would just loveeee to get the details on this love story that's blossoming before my eyes. Blaise said you were pretty tight lipped yesterday-"

"Except with Granger," a smug Blaise said suddenly from beside him. Finding himself sandwiched between two of the most stubborn and irritating people he knew, Draco resigned himself to a long morning.

"I'm not even going to dignify that with a response," Draco sighed.

"Exactly, case and point!" Blaise crowed. Rolling her eyes as Blaise's bird-like antics scared away a few second years, Pansy continued.

"Anyways, we haven't done lunch together in ages, let's do it today."

Draco coughed. "Sorry, I will be having a headache at lunch today."

Pansy pouted, "That's too bad- wait!"

The trio bickered the rest of the way to the Great Hall, where Draco's fears that the news of the Acamara Lotus incident would have spread like wildfire were strangely not met. Only a few people turned to look at Draco oddly as he ate his breakfast, and Draco was surprised at how slow the rumor mill was this week. Maybe Lavender Brown and the Patil twins were mortally wounded somewhere? That would be the only reason…

"Ten galleons says you can't not look at her for all of breakfast," Blaise sniggered. There was no asking who 'her' was. By habit, Draco discreetly glanced at the Gryffindor table, noticing that the usual spot of the Gryffindor princess was empty.

Glaring, Draco said, "You're on," just as Hermione walked into the Great Hall, and on impulse his eyes went immediately to her. He realized his mistake too late as Blaise's eyes lit up with glee.

Blaise cackled madly like the insane, annoying best friend that he was. "Bloody hell, mate, not five seconds and you've just won me ten galleons!"

"Perhaps you can use it to buy yourself some taste," Draco said dryly, but he ducked his head so that no one could see his blush.

"What does she have that I don't?" Pansy screeched in his ear suddenly. Oh wait, that was her normal speaking voice. Feeling slightly jarred, Draco took a sip of pumpkin juice to restore his blood sugar levels.

"I don't think you want me to answer that."

Pansy threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, not noticing as the marmalade slid off her toast and into Daphne Greengrass's hair. "I mean, I tried to seduce you," she exclaimed dramatically, and shamelessly, Draco thought.

"Pans, you snuck into my dormitory when we were twelve and tried to pounce on me when I was asleep."

"I still don't know how you ever resisted my advances," Pansy sighed, and Draco looked at her incredulously.

"That was back when Crabbe had bigger tits than you did," he raised an eyebrow, and Pansy smirked.

"But how about now?" she winked as she thrust her chest forward. Very intentionally ignoring her admittedly lovely cleavage, Draco caught the glaring eye of Ron Weasley across the room.

"Careful, Pansy, you're drawing the wrong type of attention," he nodded his head to the Gryffindor table, and Pansy's face twisted is disgust.

"I'm too pretty for a Weasley. But now that I think of it, the two of you should get together. What, with your lack of looks and his lack of brains-"

"But maybe he prefers your lack of personality?"

"All of these lack of personality jokes are going to make me start thinking you don't actually like us, Draco," Blaise joked. A confused look passed over his face when Draco merely stared blankly at him.

* * *

The morning brought sun and a false sense of security as Hermione rushed down to Potions. It's funny how transparent situations can suddenly turn foggy and dangerous. That's how today's potion's lesson was going. First, Slughorn was telling them all to take their seats, like every other class. Next, he was clapping his hands in his usual cheery manner.

"Now, because Ms. Granger and Mr. Malfoy are the only ones who smelled the same scent, I have a proposition. Either we conduct a study on them and watch and see if they experience any side effects of the potion, or we do book work. All in favor of the human study, say 'rabid donkeys!'"

Unfortunately for Hermione and Malfoy, everyone cried out "Rabid donkeys!" Hermione gazed at Harry and Ron with unadulterated betrayal. Harry had the mind to look slightly sorry, Ron just laughed.

Friends.

Gryffindors.

 _Harry and Ron._

More than a little freaked out, Hermione glanced over at Malfoy to see how he was fairing under Slughorn's instruction. As usual, The Human Rock, as Hermione dubbed him in the inspiration of the moment, was, well, rock like. Dull, expressionless, ethereal, smooth.

Off topic.

Stony. Impassive. Tough. Hard.

Very off topic!

Excitedly, the rest of the class forced Hermione and Malfoy to sit at the same table while they formed in a circle around them, staring and whispering amongst themselves in an animated fashion. Everyone's eyes seemed too wide, too thrilled, too entranced by the sight of the two sitting side by side.

"Speak," Seamus Finnigan poked Hermione in the side.

"Seamus!" Hermione scolded immediately, and the class 'ooooo'd' and 'ahhh'd'. "This is ridiculous," she muttered to herself, and instantly wished she hadn't when another chorus of surprised gasps emanated from the crowd.

"Why haven't they killed each other yet?" Lavender Brown stage whispered.

"Love does that to you. It cuts back on your murder-like tendencies," Blaise Zabini explained, and the rest of the class again 'oohhhh'ed collectively. Malfoy glared at Blaise fiercely. "Or maybe it doesn't," he gulped and shuffled back a few steps so that he wasn't within lunging distance of Malfoy.

Hermione herself slid away from Malfoy, not feeling safe as his glare was quite frightening. And intense. Did she mention it was frightening? However, Neville non-too subtly shoved her back, and a bit too aggressively at that, because Hermione went sailing out of her chair and into someone's lap.

And not just anybody's lap.

Malfoy's lap.

Now, it was quite comfortable there, with her hands on his solid chest, feeling it rise up and down with each breath, and his toned thighs beneath her. It would have been perfect if he weren't staring daggers at her and the rest of the class weren't going into a fit. "Love!" "Murder!" "Sacrifice!" "Oh, the beauty!"

"Granger," came one voice, lower and quieter than the others.

Ah, The Human Rock speaks!

She looked up at him expectantly.

"Get off me," his voice sounded strained, as if he were restraining himself from dumping her on the floor unceremoniously in front of all his class mates. Pansy Parkinson sniggered loudly, and blushing, Hermione immediately righted herself.

"That's love, kids," Dean Thomas sighed happily, along with the rest of the females in the room. Aside from Parkinson. And Hermione. But really, who cares about either of their interests?

"Alright, children, enough observation for the day. We'll pick up on this next class…" Slughorn's voice drifted into her ears, but it sounded faraway. Her mind was elsewhere, on the resolve to end all of this obscenity. She would do some extensive research tonight on the Acamara Lotus potion and figure out what had gone wrong. Because there had to be something wrong with the potion. She and Malfoy definitely did not love each other, and anyone would be a fool to think so.

"…And a two foot parchment on Andrew Apskey, a man who was imprisoned after smelling the Acamara Lotus potion, who then proceeded to go around smelling every single woman he could find in search of his true love."

Hermione barely paid attention to her classes for the rest of the day, which didn't go unnoticed by Harry, Ron and surprisingly Malfoy. She could feel his grey eyes piercing into her whenever she turned around. It was after lunch, when Harry and Ron were debating taking their friend to the hospital wing, that she rushed off to the library to begin her much anticipated research.

Despite her ability to navigate the library like a pro, Hermione had some trouble finding any information on the Acamara Lotus potion. She was considering sneaking into the Restricted section when she noticed a brief half page regarding the dreaded potion. Eagerly, she began to read.

 _The Acamara Lotus potion is a love potion closely related to Amortentia (see page 196 for more on Amortentia) Unike Amortentia, it does not create infatuation, and is not a form of liquid love. Instead of merely giving off a scent of what you most desire, Acamara Lotus matches you up with a person who smells the same scent, or rather your 'true love' or 'soul mate', as many wizards and witches have labeled it. And they are correct in their standing. Acamara Lotus reveals the love and passions that two people have for each other. Unfortunately, this element makes the potion highly addictive. As well as being addictive, it has resulted in many tragedies and years of misuse. Carlos Flepping (1379) is one of the earliest recorded cases - after he and his wife smelled Acamara Lotus and did not smell the same mixture, he brutally murdered her and went out on a trek for his true love. Another example of Acamara Lotus misuse is Andrew Apskey, famous for his attempt to smell every single woman in the world, and later imprisoned after a fairly risqué scandal with the Queen of England back in 1493. These events have led up to the potion being outlawed globally. (To see consequences of being in possession of Acamara Lotus, see page 173)_

 _Acamara Lotus can have many negative side effects, the most prominent being hallucinations. How a witch or wizard is effected by these hallucinations varies. Some experience severe hallucinations that remain with the 'smeller' for the rest of their lives, while some experience only mild hallucinations, and still others nothing at all._

 _While all information about the Acamara Lotus is rather foggy, there is one thing for certain: the potion never lies. Now, that is not to say that the potion hasn't been misbrewed. Signs of a misbrewed Acamara Lotus potion are strictly as follows:_

 _The color of the potion is purple. (This indicates that you have brewed a decently fatal concoction, and it is advised that you dispose of it immediately.)_

 _There is no scent._

 _The potion takes on a chunky consistency_

 _*If you are still doubting your experience with Acamara Lotus, please, work towards acceptance of your love and your fellow 'soul sniffer'. You are in love, no matter what you may think. Acamara Lotus explores the most inner depths of your soul. Trust me, it knows. And lastly, congratulations on your newfound love!_

 _Ta ta!_

That was more blunt than she wanted it to be.

Getting desperate, Hermione reread the page again and again, but she found no further information. Which of course meant there was no 'cure', so to speak, for her apparent love for Malfoy.

"Argh!" she exclaimed in frustration, all but throwing her hands up in the air in a dramatic manner. As she stomped out of the library, the words ' _The potion never lies'_ rang threw her head again and again in a haunting fashion.

She would just have to latch onto the idea that it had been misbrewed. Even though she knew for a fact that it hadn't been, as it didn't have any of the signs listed in the book.

Desperation does stuff like that to you.

* * *

October 18th, 1996

"Gather round, my feisty gremlins, and let us watch and see what Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Granger do for us today!" Slughorn trumpeted, and the Potions class cheered. Hermione face palmed. Last nights research had discouraged her greatly and put her in a foul mood. A mood which, unfortunately, was immediately lashed out onto Malfoy.

"Malfoy," she practically growled in greeting upon being forced into a seat beside him once more. The class dutifully and excitedly circled around the duo and watched the exchange greedily.

The blond in question arched a golden eyebrow.

So that didn't warrant a response, then?

Alright. Two could play this game.

She wasn't sure what made her do it, but the next thing she knew, she had kicked Malfoy in the shin, hard.

He winced and his leg retracted further away from her by reflex. "What the hell was that for?" She smiled sweetly at him, that is until Dean Thomas exclaimed in amazement,

"She's flirting!"

Gasps of shock, disgust and jealousy mingled with one another around the room.

"If that's what you call flirting, then I guess we know why you're still single," Goyle snickered, and many in the class followed suit.

"That's not the only reason she's still single." Malfoy smirked at her.

She had heard worse. Come to think of it, she could have laughed it off instead of becoming so offended by it. However, at that moment, his opinion of her mattered to her immensely. Before she could blink, her hand flew out on its own accord and had slapped him straight across the face.

"Lovers spat!" Seamus hooted.

Face having been knocked sideways, Malfoy stared in shock at the opposite wall, not registering what had happened. Ron fist pumped the air. "Go Hermione!" But in her own dazed confusion and sudden euphoria of hitting Malfoy, Hermione met Harry's eyes, which were clearly asking, 'What was that about?'

"Draco, are you alright?" Pansy cried out in concern. The blond rubbed his cheek in surprise, a red handprint rapidly becoming more visible on his face.

"Ms. Granger!" Slughorn bellowed above the yells of excitement and shouts of disapproval from her classmates. "Detention with me tonight, 8:00! You too, Mr. Malfoy."

Malfoy's eyes widened. "I didn't do anything! This isn't fair!" he protested loudly, and the rest of the Slytherins were about to start an uproar at their prince being given detention.

"You provoked me," Hermione sneered, again shocked by her strong reaction.

"Shall we make it two nights, then?" Slughorn asked, and Hermione's eyes widened in misery. "Two nights, it is!"

Now the Gryffindors began acting up. "This is ridiculous! She was acting in self defense!" Ron cried out, followed by a slew of other remarks from Gryffindors and Slytherins alike.

"Enough! Everyone will quiet down unless you _all_ want to be in detention with me tonight!" Slughorn said sternly. That quickly sobered the class. Grumbling, Hermione followed as everyone returned back to their seats and Slughorn began a brief lesson on a potion they would be making next class.

"Expedementia is a love potion, and a rather potent one at that. However, its affects tend to wear off in about an hour. What makes this potion so unique is that it can be absorbed through the skin as well as be ingested. When we attempt to make Expedementia next class, you will all need to wear protective gloves to avoid any accidents."

"The person who has ingested, or, ah, absorbed the Expedementia potion will fall into a state of infatuation with the person who administered the potion. Now, unlike most love potions, whether or not one remembers the incident is completely dependent on the victim. It varies from victim to victim."

Hermione didn't like the way he said 'victim' each time. It made being under the influence of a love potion seem that much more terrible.

As Slughorn continued to drone on to the class, Hermione let her eyes wander. She was still bothered by her lack of control of emotions where Malfoy was concerned. Her eyes flitted over to where the blond was sitting, his cheek still glowing faintly from where she had slapped him. He hadn't really deserved it, she admitted to herself, but for some reason, she hadn't been able to control herself. And that was worrying. It brought up all sorts of questions: how far did this lack of control go, what other emotions would carry over, and why was she feeling like she was drowning in her own senses? And the most concerning one: would she be able to control herself in detention with him tonight?

* * *

"I can't believe you slapped Malfoy! In front of the whole class! That was beautiful!" Ron was tearing up again at the memory. He had been boasting about it to everyone all day, and you would have thought that he was the one that hit Malfoy the way he was going on about it.

"The execution of the slap, ohhh the grace! I give you a ten out of ten, Hermione," he shoved a piece of ham in his mouth and chewed it in a monstrous way that had Hermione cringing. Soon, however, he swallowed, and he seemed to be opening his mouth again to comment on the incident in Potions. Annoyance niggled at her mind once again.

"Shall we see if it's still up to par?" Hermione brandished her hand warningly in a very obvious statement saying 'do shut up, please'. Apparently, Ron still very much believed her slapping skills were up to par, because he shook his head vigorously, not willing to fall victim to his best friend's palm.

"I can't believe you slapped Malfoy, either," Harry said quietly from beside her. Realizing that Harry intentionally didn't want to draw the attention of Ron and the rest of the Gryffindors around them in the Great Hall, she shifted a little closer to him. "You usually have better judgment than that, Hermione. I'm not complaining, but it was in front of a teacher. And he has said things much worse that you haven't reacted to."

"I don't know what came over me," she replied in a hushed tone. "It was like I couldn't control myself. I'm wondering if it might be a side affect of the potion that Slughorn didn't mention."

Harry nodded in understanding, but his brow was still creased. "I'm worried about his reaction, or rather, his lack of one," he muttered in her ear. "You know how Malfoy gets. He over reacts to everything. But he didn't do anything today. I doubt he'll let this just pass by. Be careful during your detention tonight. You never know what he has up his sleeve." He warned her, and Hermione gave a clipped nod, signaling her understanding. She resumed eating her dinner, as Lavender Brown had started looking at them curiously, as if she suspected some sort of illicit affair going on.

Eager to change the topic, Hermione looked at the opposite side of the table, where the youngest Weasley was scribbling something down on a sheet of parchment.

"What are you writing, Ginny?" Hermione asked in curiosity, trying to crane her neck a bit to have a good look. But either Ginny's hand writing was illegible or Hermione couldn't read upside down as well as she originally thought, because she couldn't decipher the words at all.

"Oh, just a little something I've cooked up from inspiration around me," Ginny said off-handedly, still bent over her parchment.

"Speaking of things going on around us," someone said slyly, and Hermione jumped when she found that Fay Dunbar had saddled up on her side. "I heard some interesting stories flying around the halls today," she gave Hermione a pointed look. "Playing around with those animalistic tendencies, are we?"

Hermione's face flared up with color. "Fay!" she scolded, blushing like mad. "Of course not! Don't be silly."

"Just how I heard it," Fay shrugged one shoulder. "Rumor has it, you and Malfoy have quite a passion for each other,"

"What?!" the brunette's jaw almost hit the table. Fay reached over and pressed upwards on Hermione's chin to shut her mouth.

"Well, there's certainly no denying the sexual tension between you two," she stood up and stretched. "And be safe tonight in detention with him," she winked, and Hermione blinked at the weak double entendre.

Deciding that she needed to calm her nerves, Hermione muttered a quick excuse for the library and set off. She wanted to do a bit more research on the Acamara Lotus potion before she had to go to her detention with Slughorn and Malfoy at 8:00. Glancing at her watch, she noted that she had at least half an hour to spend in the library.

Halfway through her stay at the library, Hermione still hadn't found any additional information on Acamara Lotus besides what she had read the previous night, and curiously, Madam Pince had left. Slowly, Hermione's eyes slid over to the Restricted section. It was a sin, in Hermione's mind, to enter the Restricted section without permission, but she was getting desperate, and it would only be for a little while…

Harry and Ron had definitely worn off on her.

Glancing over her shoulder to make sure there was no one around to see, Hermione slipped into the Restricted section. A wave of excitement rushed over her as she thought of her rule breaking habits, but then she felt a bit put out when she realized it was only the library. Huffing to herself, she began scanning the delicate spines, searching for anything that might hint at the mysterious potion Slughorn had brought into class. She felt a niggling sense of irritation in the back of her mind, though she couldn't imagine why. Shaking her head, she continued looking, ignoring the odd feeling that felt like it didn't belong.

Eventually she found a heavy tome with a red leather binding that seemed to suit her endeavors. Flipping through the thin yellow pages, she spotted a passage concerning the effects that love potions have on emotions, where she found what she was looking for.

 _After being exposed to Acamara Lotus, it isn't uncommon for a couple determined by the potion to experience heightened emotions when around each other. They have a intensified sense of happiness, sadness, irritation, anger and especially lust._

That created a sense of relief. Well, not the lust part. Lusting after Malfoy didn't bode too well with her, but she didn't grumble about that for too long, because the following passage snagged her attention.

 _There have been recorded cases in which a witch and wizard destined for each other through Acamara Lotus develop an Empathy Link of sorts with each other. This telepathic connection allows both the witch and wizard to sense each others emotions, and, in rare occurrences, gives the ability to manipulate the emotions of the specific person the link is shared with._

Well, that was certainly concerning.

And of course, Hermione thought in frustration, one of the most important pieces of information on the potion, and there is only a measly paragraph on it.

She was aching to dig in deeper and see what she could find, but a precarious glance at her watch revealed that she had only five minutes to get down to the dungeons. Jumping in surprise, Hermione quickly slid the book away and rushed out of the library.

Whatever else she might find would have to wait.

* * *

Hermione never thought that she would regret slapping Malfoy. But as soon as she entered the dungeons- four and a half minutes later- and she found Slughorn lecturing Draco on the existence of the Slug Club, she felt a bubble of self pity overwhelm her.

The moment she entered the room, she slammed into a wall of weariness and boredom. It settled heavily in the air like a suffocating smog, hot and uncomfortable. She slumped in, giving a not even half hearted greeting to the cheery one she received from the Potions master.

"Ah! Ms. Granger!" Slughorn shouted, his voice echoing off the stone walls. "How kind of you to join us! Please, sit, sit, sit," He seemed to go slightly cross eyed when he looked at her. Uncertainly, Hermione sat down in the seat next to the blond Slytherin, who didn't look any more thrilled to be there than she was.

"We were just discussing you, weren't we, Mr. Malfoy!"

Malfoy shifted in his seat a little, glaring at Hermione with impossible accuracy from the corner of his eyes. It looked like this 'discussion' had been pretty one sided.

The lack of response from Draco didn't seem to put off Slughorn in the slightest. "Yes, yes we were. I was commenting on your potioneer skills, all good things, of course," Slughorn looked down and smoothed his robes, peering up at them slyly. "Then Mr. Malfoy here mentioned how pretty he thought you were."

Draco's jaw dropped open with an audible _pop_. Slughorn smirked.

So maybe there _was_ a reason Slughorn was the Head of Slytherin house.

Draco looked like he was going to protest, his cheeks coloring slightly and eyes narrowing at the older wizard. But even if he did object to the accusation, he seemed to realize it would be in vain. Instead, he settled on gritting his teeth, while Hermione held her breath in order to keep in her amusement.

Her mirth was short lived. Soon Slughorn began peppering her with questions about her life as a muggle-born, her life as the best friend of the Harry Potter, her life as the 'Brightest Witch of Her Age'- he said this bit with gusto and wiggled his eyebrows (obviously trying to draft her into the Slug Club once again this year no doubt.) Slughorn rambled on about anything and everything, even hitting on his opinion of muggle vacuums, before he came to rest of the topic that both students were dreading.

The Acamara Lotus potion.

"Now, I must say," Slughorn stretched, the clock by his head reading 9:30. Hermione almost whimpered. "I am quite curious about this newfound love…" he trailed off, hoping that either Hermione or Draco would pick up for him with enthusiasm.

Which of course did not happen.

It seemed that Slughorn didn't even bother to pry Malfoy about it. The Human Rock was shining in the area of his namesake. Unresponsive as ever, he stared unabashed at his professor with flat grey eyes.

Hermione was quite pleased that Malfoy wasn't going to spill any details about their 'love'. But unfortunately, that left her to Slughorn's mercy.

"Actually, I was doing some research," Hermione began, hoping to at least get some more details from the Potions Professor as well as stall from the real question. "And I came across something in my reading. It mentioned an Empathy Link?"

For the first time in the whole two hours they had been sitting there, Malfoy lifted his head up, eyes sparking in interest.

Slughorn nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! An Empathy Link!"

"I was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about that," Hermione said slowly, and the toad-like professor seemed to catch on.

"From what I recall, an Empathy Link with another individual allows a person to feel the emotions that the person at the other end of the link feels. Unfortunately, due to the pure dependency on the people in the situation, the strength of the Link varies,"

"Is it possible to open and close the Link?" Hermione asked, feeling her inner bookworm emerging out into the open once more.

"Again, it depends on the two individuals, and the strength of the bond between them."

"The strength of the bond, meaning the strength of their love?" Hermione asked, face heating slightly as her eyes slid towards Malfoy.

"Not necessarily. Empathy Links don't have to be based on romantic feelings. There are Links formed through friendships, or similar passions, or even pure hatred for one another."

"Kind of like Harry and You-Know-Who," Hermione said softly, and Slughorn shrugged.

"More or less. That is less of an Empathy Link and more a form of Legilimency."

"How would you know if there was an existing link between two people?" Slughorn and Hermione turned to Draco in surprise. It was the first time he had spoken willingly the entire night.

"Well," Slughorn began, chest puffing with self importance that a fellow Slytherin actually needed his assistance for once. "That is hard to say. I believe that is a question that only two individuals with an active Empathy Link can answer."

Hermione's interest piqued. "When you say active, do you mean that a Link can become inactive?"

"Why, of course! A Link can be awake or dormant. Once established, an Empathy Link- ones triggered through Acamara Lotus, that is- never fade. However, if friendships or relationships break, you would want a way to shut off the Link. Although I believe that the Link would dissolve naturally, there is allegedly a way to make the Link 'sleep.'"

"Allegedly?" Hermione repeated in confusion, and Slughorn scratched his head.

"No one has ever wanted to get rid of the Link! In most cases, everyone has become quite attached to the Link and their partner's emotions. They say it's an out-of-this-world experience, to feel and connect with someone on a whole new level," Slughorn said the last bit blissfully, gazing off into the dankness of the dungeon.

"Is it possible to control someone's emotions through the Link?" Draco asked, and Hermione felt a spark of concern ignite in her, which only flared when he sent her a smirk.

"I'm sure there is with time. But again, it all depends on the strength of the Link and the bond between the two individuals," the professor blinked a few times and craned his neck in what looked to be a painful position in order to check the clock. "My, it has gotten late! How time flies when you're having fun!"

He stood up to shoo them out of his office, but called at last minute, "Why all the questions, my dear?"

Hermione bit her lip. "Just curiosity," she said in as bright a tone as possible.

Slughorn chuckled to himself, but neither Draco nor Hermione could figure out why. "Ah, young minds. Hurry along now, goodnight my young cherubs."

Hermione waved goodbye unenthusiastically, especially when he cheerfully reminded her that they would see each other tomorrow night. Malfoy shouldered past her roughly at that, and Hermione felt an uncharacteristic flare of anger shoot through her. She really couldn't stand him. Just when she thought he could be semi-civil, he had to go be all aggressive for no reason. She huffed at Malfoy and his scattered feelings before stomping off to the Gryffindor common room in an unexplained rage which quickly turned to fatigue when she reached the Fat Lady portrait.

If she hadn't a sense of dignity for herself, she would have slumped down on the floor of the common room and slept right there. But Hermione managed to drag herself up the stairs, and in a zombie like daze she collapsed on the bed, slamming her face into her pillow when she again remembered she had to put up with Slughorn and Malfoy in detention tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

October 20, 1996

"Is it her, you know…time?"

"Huh?"

"You know, that one week of the month that girls get really…well…"

"Oh, you mean Bitch Week."

"Yeah, that one."

"Right. So do you think it is?"

"Who?"

"Hermione. Look at her. She's glaring at her eggs as if they've caused the apocalypse."

"Or they gave her a T on her exams."

"That too."

"I think it might be safer to keep our distance. Why run to a fire, you feel?"

"What are you two whispering about?"

"Ah! Hermione! We were just, er…"

"We were, er…. discussing Transfiguration!"

"Yeah! What Harry said!"

"Ron, I happen to know that you and Harry would never voluntarily discuss school enthusiastically unless its about making revenge plans on Snape. So what were you talking about?"

"Nothing of consequence."

"Argh!"

"AH!"

Harry cautiously put his hand on the table and grabbed all the knifes within a five foot range of Hermione. Her eyes followed the movement like a vulture, and Harry gulped non-too subtly.

Just then Ginny came galloping down aisle and plopped down next to Hermione. "Pass the jam, please?"

Ron and Harry frantically tried to wave their arms in warning, but either Ginny didn't notice or she didn't care. The two boys jaw's dropped when Hermione smiled brightly and passed it without hesitation, sending a dark look to Ron, who whimpered.

"Women, I don't understand them." Ron cowered.

"You aren't supposed to." Harry patted his friend's back, all the while keeping a weary eye on Hermione. He wanted to warn Ginny somehow of Hermione's, er, condition, but he didn't know how without signaling Hermione of the fact.

Ron, meanwhile began attempting to communicate with Ginny through morse code by tapping his nose in a series of dots and dashes. Unfortunately, neither Ron or Ginny knew morse code, which was a bit counter productive.

"How's your morning been, Hermione?" Ginny questioned casually, putting some jam on her toast artfully.

Hermione's face fell a little bit. "It could have been better. I didn't get much sleep last night after detention with Slughorn, and now I have another one to look forward to tonight," she said sadly, and Ginny's face twisted in sympathy.

"How did that go, by the way. Detention with Slughorn _and_ Malfoy?"

"Unpleasant," Hermione responded grimly. "But, surprisingly bearable. I am alive, aren't I?" she laughed half-heartedly. Ginny nodded whilst she began digging through her bag.

"And how's the love situation going?" she asked, smirking slightly when Hermione gasped.

"Nonexistent!" she said hastily, fanning herself in horror at the thought. Ginny made a small sound of delight when she found her quill and the piece of parchment she had been writing on the night before. Then she waved her hand dismissively,

"Alright, alright, I'm done harassing you. For now," said Ginny, who then began writing on her parchment. Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione turned back to Ron and Harry, her face slightly troubled, though neither could imagine why. Harry, being cautious yet curious, asked about her detention.

"Malfoy didn't try anything, did he?" he asked, directing a glare over Hermione's shoulder where she assumed Malfoy must be seated. Hermione shook her head.

"He didn't. Not that he could have, really, Slughorn was chatting our ears off the entire time."

"Don't get too comfortable, though," Harry warned. "You never know what he might do tonight."

Hermione laughed lightly. "I'll be fine, Harry, really! It's just Malfoy."

* * *

She couldn't shake it all day. This constant, shallow, empty feeling in the pit of her stomach. It consumed her. And it was frightening. She had never experienced it before, or if she had, it was never to this extent. And one of the worst parts was that she couldn't place it. This hideous emotion was eating her up, and she didn't even know what it was.

She continued about her day as best she could with that unplaced feeling weighing her down. She felt as if she were dragging her feet whenever she walked, her book bag suddenly had too many books in it, the voices around her too bright, and it resulted in an overall sadness.

Being the optimist she was, Hermione tried to overlook this feeling the majority of the time. And she was glad she did, because when Care of Magical Creatures rolled around, she had a hard time keeping the smile off her face.

"An' this," Hagrid swept his massive hand over to a post, "is a Jarvey. 'Dorable thing, ain't he?"

The 'adorable thing' that Hagrid was now walking around the paddock on a leash greatly resembled an overgrown ferret.

Unfortunately for Malfoy, his classmates were quick to point this out and remind him of his experience back in fourth year, which- judging by the color of his face- he clearly didn't need reminding of.

The Jarvey seemed to be muttering to itself, rude words said under its breath in human speech, surprisingly enough. As Hagrid led it around the group to show it off, its voice became a bit too loud.

"Pork chop," it exclaimed to Millicent Bulstrode, who gasped and looked down at her stomach as if seeing it for the first time. "Ugly, fat, four-eyes," the last bit was directed at Harry, who clutched a hand to his heart.

Hagrid seemed a little lost. "Jarveys are known fer their, er, rude words. Thought I 'ad this one un'er control…."

The overgrown ferret, or as Hagrid told them the alternative name was the 'talking ferret', continued to harass the class. It told Lavender Brown that she was as ditzy as a log, which didn't seem to make much sense, but the Jarvey either didn't care or didn't notice. Hermione was told she looked like a beaver, which made her feel a bit self conscious, even though she knew her teeth weren't protruding anymore like in fourth year.

It didn't say anything when it came to Malfoy. It almost seemed to regard him for a moment, then moved on, accepting him as a fellow ferret that needn't be insulted.

The Jarvey giggled when it saw Ron, and just said "Ginger" under its breath, as if that were insult enough.

As Hagrid tugged the ill-mannered ferret away from the offended students, Harry started smirking, reminding Hermione too much of the blond Slytherin that Harry was now talking about.

"…exactly like Malfoy, a dirty little ferret-" Harry was laughing with the Gryffindors, and Hermione felt a flash of unreasonable embarrassment. Was she ashamed by the Gryffindors' unnecessary insults? Hermione frowned, that was a weird thought.

As they started up the hill towards the castle, the unsettled feeling returned to her, causing shivers to run down her spine by the sudden intensity of it.

"You alright, Hermione?"

That was Ron. Hermione had to restrain from letting her jaw drop. Since when did Ron notice her emotions? But there he was, looking at her with concern. Huh.

"I'm fine, Ron, just a bit tired," she smiled weakly as another pang of hallow-ness welled up inside her, which was quickly followed by a small swell of anger.

Ron gave her an odd look, but accepted her answer. They walked in silence the rest of the way up to the castle and then down to the dungeons for potions.

Potions didn't do much to improve her mood. Slughorn had decided to 'spice it up'- in his words, not hers- and pair them with new partners. This landed Hermione with Neville, the latter of which was still shaking from when the Jarvey had called him 'a pitiful waste of oxygen'.

"Put on your gloves!" Slughorn reminded them after Neville tripped over Crabbe's foot. "We don't want any accidents!" Hermione gulped nervously as Neville made his way back to their table.

"Okay, Neville," Hermione began slowly, waiting for the words to process before she continued. "The Expedementia potion is very unstable, so we have to be extremely careful when we brew it, alright?"

Neville's eyes widened and he nodded his head in a fashion that was anything but reassuring.

Taking a cleansing breath, Hermione began sorting the ashwinder eggs. If she could just make it through this one potions lesson without being killed by Neville and his accident prone self…

Was that really too much to ask?

Apparently so, because in the next hour, Hermione saved the potions class from peril and Neville not twice, but three times. First the poor Gryffindor boy had attempted to add the moonstone before the peppermint, which would have created a toxic gas. He then knocked over the rose thorns, spilling them all over the floor, right before they had to add them in. This wouldn't have been so bad if it weren't for the fact that the rose thorns needed to be added in directly after the powdered moonstone, or else the entire thing could explode in their faces. Then of course, there was the time that Neville spilled some of the unfinished potion on her- Merlin knows how- and it singed a hole through her robes.

It was shocking when she made it through the Potions period in one piece.

"Alright, cherubs, fill a vial with a sample of your Expedementia potion, and place it here on my desk!" Slughorn was saying. "Ms. Patil, do try to be more careful. We wouldn't want you spilling any of that on Mr. Thomas now!"

That looked like it was exactly what Parvati wanted to do, but she sighed in frustration and placed the vial on his desk, resisting the urge to let any of the potion absorb into Dean's skin 'by accident'.

* * *

The sun was relatively warm and beat down on the skin of the students who lounged around outside in the courtyard. Usually, Hermione was in the library instead of soaking up the warmth, but she needed some time with the Gryffindor girls, and seeing as everyone became allergic to books and parchment whenever the library was mentioned, Hermione was laying under a tree in the courtyard with Lavender, Fay, Parvati and Ginny surrounding her.

"I've decided," Lavender plucked apart a strand a grass. "That I am going to pursue the interests of Zacharias Smith," she stated grandly. The girl waved the piece of grass in the air as if celebrating a victory. Hermione had to duck down to avoid being stabbed in the eye with the surprisingly sharp blade.

"How does one decide upon these things instead of just finding oneself infatuated with another person?" Hermione questioned curiously, eyeing the clover Lavender had snatched from the ground. Could weeds cut your skin? They certainly looked as though they could.

"I call it taking charge of my life," said Lavender wistfully, dropping onto her back on the grass.

"Your mother would be so proud," Fay cooed from beside the other girl. She dodged an angry smack to the leg by centimeters.

Hermione smirked. "Of course, it's not the first time you're pursuing the interests of a man in such a manner, is it Lav-Lav?" she said smugly. The other girls cackled madly.

"Oh, shut up! Ron was a spell of momentary madness on my part, and a one time thing! I don't act like that now," she pouted while crossing her arms across her chest. Lavender had to go cross eyed in order to glare at Hermione properly, which only resulted in the girls giggling more.

Fay coughed, sounding as if she were trying to remove her trachea from her body. All things considered, it could have been an attempt to cover her laughter, or a result of her terrible allergies, which acted up around this time of year. Hermione knew this from years of listening to loud, uneven snores on the opposite side of the dormitory. "What about your stint with Terry Boot? You draped over him like a coat on a coat hanger." Obviously, the blonde Gryffindor did not like to be reminded of her past _boy-toys,_ for she practically growled.

"I was not _draping_ over him!" Lavender argued vehemently.

"I think you need glasses," Ginny commented casually from the side. It was apparent that Lavender had a tendency to become overly-attached to the boys she was interested in. Hermione shuddered as she remembered sixth year with Ron. Though she held no grudges against her blonde dorm mate, the memories of heartbreak over the immature Weasley still made her squirm uncomfortably.

That remark about the glasses made Lavender pause. She frowned as if in deep thought. "Do you think I can pull off the sexy librarian look?"

Startled, Ginny answered honestly, "Well, no, but what does that have to do with-"

"Then I cannot possibly get glasses!" a horror stricken Lavender exclaimed. Hermione rolled her eyes at the girl's vanity, but she could not hide her amusement. Her dorm mates never ceased to entertain her, no matter the circumstance. Be it Voldemort's return or apparently being in love with Malfoy- two events she viewed as being equal in magnitude- they were always there to make her smile.

It must have been something in this morning's pumpkin juice, for the romantic confessions did not stop at Lavender.

"I think I might be interested in Dean Thomas," Parvati admitted shyly from her spot against the tree.

"That much was obvious," Fay snorted, then continued in a perfect imitation of Parvati's voice. "Oh, Dean! Allow me to distract you with my plump bosom while I accidentally bewitch you with some homemade love potion!" she shrieked and Parvati tackled her to the ground.

"Oh hush, at least I'm making some sort of move. You on the other hand will continue to ogle all sorts of guys and do nothing," Parvati declared as she put Fay in a head-lock.

"Snape will wash his hair before you act upon your affections," Lavender smirked, happy to no longer be the center of harassment.

"It's not simple to flirt with Slytherins!" Fay defended herself as she attempted to wiggle out of Parvati's weirdly strong grip. She let out a victorious squeak when she maneuvered away from the girl with a well placed elbow.

"Who said they had to be Slytherins? There are loads of other guys in other houses," Hermione pointed out.

"Yes, but all the attractive ones are from Slytherin," Fay licked her lips non too subtly. Hermione blanched slightly. She wasn't going to admit aloud that the sinfully sexy men in the school belonged to the house of the snakes. Tingles swept over her skin as a particular one swam before her vision. Merlin, just the sound of his voice- dark and promising of wicked things- sent her hormones into overdrive.

Not that she had to admit that to anyone.

"Hey!" Parvati said in annoyance. She began to move to renew Fay's head-lock. "Dean is perfectly fine!"

"Sure, _fine_ , but are you going to settle for fine when you could have _spectacular_?" Fay regally swept her arm out in front of her. Accidentally, she hit Parvati upside the nose.

"You think Crabbe and Goyle are spectacular? Maybe Lavender's not the one who needs her eyes checked," she quipped, though her voice was nasally as she coddled her injured nose with a small whimper.

"Not them, you dolt, but have you checked out Malfoy's ass lately? Hot damn," Fay hooted loudly.

"I concur," Ginny said appraisingly from the side. "It makes me want to petition the school uniform so that I can see what's underneath those robes."

"Seeing him naked in on my bucket list," Fay said dreamily, falling onto her back beside Lavender, who giggled obnoxiously.

"You have a bucket-list?" Hermione seemed to be the only one to address this concern.

Smiling dazedly, Fay confessed, "Just give me a glimpse of that chest of his and I'll die happy."

Rolling over to turn to Hermione, Ginny asked, "Speaking of which, how's paradise?"

Alarmed at where the question might lead, Hermione pretended to play dumb. "Pardon?"

"How's fine-ass Malfoy and the wonderland of love treating you?" Ginny reiterated for her. Immediately heat flushed Hermione's face.

"There is no wonderland or love, and while I admit there are certain attributes to Malfoy's posterior that make it a fine ass, there is no reason for me to notice nor utilize such a rear-end in any way, shape or form, as we are not involved and we are certainly not galloping through some _wonderland_ ," the air had left her lungs by the time she was finished with her rant.

The girls tittered at the long-winded tirade, but Hermione muttered, "Besides, guys like him don't know what love is."

Fay tried to offer some comfort. "Acamara Lotus matches soul mates. Maybe it was referring to you two being destined to hate each other." She patted Hermione's back soundly. It was tempting to believe her. Could she really entertain the idea of being paired with Malfoy by some divine power for the purpose of hating each other for eternity?

It was appealing to think otherwise. But Hermione wasn't so sure.

* * *

Draco stared at the parchment before him and moodily picked at the feather of his quill. His brow was creased in thought and his lip was worried to the point of drawing blood. He had already snapped at five of the younger years, and the rest of the Slytherin house took care to avoid Draco and the couch he had declared as his domain for the night. From experience they knew better than to approach Draco when he was in one of his moods. Tonight was no exception.

Aside from Blaise Zabini, who apparently didn't notice Draco's seething form or didn't care. Either way, Slytherin house commended the boy for having the bravery to approach Draco. Maybe, they whispered amongst each other silently, the Italian had been placed in the wrong house after all.

"What are you doing?" Blaise leaned over Draco's shoulder when he got no response. Only the cracking of knuckles was heard. "Harding's School of Magical Medicine and Healing?"

"It's a Healer-training program that was founded by Jebediah Harding back in the 1800s," Draco explained as he shoved the parchment aside in indecision. Distress was evident in his voice, which concerned Blaise. The boy usually had a firm grip on his emotions, outwardly at least. "It's a secondary school for those who want to study medicine."

Blaise dropped down on the couch beside him and propped his feet up on Draco's lap. The blond rolled his eyes but allowed the other boy to stay there. Blaise smirked in triumph. "So what's the problem?"

Draco dug the heel of his hands into his eyes. "They only take twenty-two people."

"And?"

Scoffing, Draco stared at him incredulously. " _And_ ," he shook his head, bemused. "It's incredibly hard and selective. Hundreds of kids apply from around the world each year. I have no chance of getting in."

"You want to apply?" delicately Blaise raised an eyebrow in surprise. Draco shot him an annoyed 'Well, duh' look, which Blaise acknowledged as appropriate. "If that's the only thing stopping you from applying, then maybe you aren't ready for that kind of challenge. In the future you're going to face some battles you can't win, Draco. Just because you aren't the best at everything doesn't mean you shouldn't try."

Draco thought over his friend's words. To his great irritation, he knew that Blaise was right. Yet while there were simple obstacles that worried him about applying to the school and pursuing his childhood dreams of being a Healer, there were larger obstructions that lay in his path. Nothing he was going to open up about with Blaise, though, no matter how supportive he seemed to be.

"Out of curiosity," Blaise spoke up once more. "I didn't know you were interested in magical healing and medicine? I thought you wanted to become head of your father's company."

Draco squeezed his eyes shut and laughed hollowly. "That's what he wants me to do. He's never asked- hell, _no one_ has ever asked- what I want to do with my life. They base all of their opinions off of assumption."

The darker boy was silent as he thought. "Maybe," he finally said in a soft voice. "You should try and break their assumptions."

Draco's head snapped up from where it was resting between his hands. "How?"

"I think it's time that you started defining yourself instead of letting others do it for you."

Draco snorted. "You sound like my m-" he froze as the word 'mother' almost escaped his mouth. It would be untruthful. Blaise was encouraging Draco in a way no one in his family had ever done before. As much as it hurt to admit, Draco knew that he would never meet his parents high expectations, and he knew that they knew this as well. _A failure_ , he remembered his father's harsh words. A useless, spineless failure and a shame to the Malfoy family. Draco released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. Maybe Blaise's words held more value than Draco was giving him credit for. His parents, his schoolmates, and everyone else in his life had predetermined expectations for Draco. But what did he want to see himself achieve? Perhaps it was time to stop bending over backwards to reach other peoples goals and to start realizing what he wanted to do for himself.

Blaise patted his knee, a slight smile on his features as he watched his friends worried expression. "Apply. Then see what happens," Blaise pushed the parchment closer to Draco once more before traipsing off and leaving a frustrated Draco in his place.

* * *

When Hermione dragged herself down to the dungeons that night for detention, she found Slughorn waiting for her alone.

"Hello, Ms. Granger!" he greeted her cheerfully, all the while shrugging on a green and navy checkered cloak that was an abomination to wizards ware. "I neglected to tell you and Mr. Malfoy that I would be attending a staff meeting of sorts tonight. Being two of my top students, I trust that you will be able to handle yourselves alone appropriately?"

"Yes, sir," Hermione refrained from bouncing up and down at the realization that she wouldn't have to put up with his chatter tonight.

Slughorn nodded. "Good, good. I will be back in around an hour or two, and you will stay here until then," he waved goodbye and nearly plowed Malfoy over when he was going through the door. "Hello!" he exclaimed happily, either not noticing or not caring that Draco was pressed against the door frame to keep from being squashed by his portly professor.

Hermione's spirits immediately fell with the realization that she would be stuck alone with Malfoy for the next hour.

Slowly, the empty feeling began to ebb away at her again. Frowning, she sat down in one of the chairs, staring at the table.

"What's the matter with you?" Malfoy smirked at her obvious discomfort. "Finally realize that no one will ever want you?"

"Oh but Malfoy, you've already forgotten. _You_ want me," Hermione lifted her head, an identical smirk on her lips. The blond glared angrily at her.

"We agreed to not mention that mishap," Malfoy gritted his teeth and settled down on the desk across from her. She noticed with pleasure that he was within kicking distance.

"Don't worry, Malfoy, your passion for me is safe with me." Hermione winked at him confidently before she felt repulsed with herself. Yes, winking at Malfoy does that to you.

"I do _not_ have passion for you." Draco growled, setting his hands firmly on the table as if this accentuated his words. And it did add some effect, Hermione admitted to herself.

"Desire, then," Hermione tossed her hand in the air, enjoying how annoyed she was making him. "Or maybe even… _lust_." She wiggled her eyebrows and leaned towards him. She wouldn't question her actions until later that evening.

His jaw actually dropped.

It was quite comical. You see, Hermione had adoringly dubbed him the Human Rock for a reason, that being that he was usually expressionless- unless he looked like he wanted to rip her head off, which he was doing now. Anger and surprise were practically radiating from his being, and Hermione thought she could actually feel them.

"I am not in lust with you." He snarled viciously. Hermione's chest tightened slightly at his pure ferocity. Still, never one to back down from a fight, Hermione felt a devious smile begin to slip up her cheek.

"I can't help but notice that you neglected to say anything about being in love with me," she practically cooed, now unable to keep her grin of triumph off her face.

With a low guttural sound in his throat that sounded dangerous, Draco got up to storm away. A sudden swell of flawless anger inside Hermione's chest had her sticking out her leg, intending to trip the blond. And trip he did. Not paying too much attention in his obvious irritation, Draco went crashing to the floor. His hands went out wildly to catch himself on any stable object, and they connected with Slughorn's desk. Unfortunately, the professor's table wasn't enough to keep Draco on his feet. Instead, he landed on his knees. Hermione winced at the bruises he would have the next day.

Slughorn's desk shuttered in crescendo, multiple items falling to the ground and on top of the blond's head. Neither of them noticed the collection of pink vials steadily creeping closer to the edge of the desk top.

"Granger!" Draco barked, attempting to get up when a book nailed him in the back of the neck. Groaning, he dropped back to his knees again.

Hermione watched with interest as he roughly sat back on his heels, holding his head in his hands. His back hit the desk forcefully, shaking it harshly.

Unable to help herself, a small laugh escaped Hermione's lips. Harsh grey eyes snapped up at her sharply. "You are so dead."

She didn't even have the time to be afraid at the seriousness of his statement. He gripped the desk, shaking it some more, and more things fell onto the ground. Including a collection of small vials of pink potion.

With rapidly growing horror, Hermione watched as the vials of Expedementia potion spilled all over Draco.

Hermione leapt away as the glass splintered and the pink potion splattered across the floor.

"M-Malfoy?" she began uncertainly, peering at him cautiously as he blinked.

A dazzling smile spread across his face as he caught sight of her and Hermione's heart plummeted into her stomach.

"You look beautiful tonight, Hermione," he said, his fingers sweeping out to caress her cheek bone. Hermione immediately pulled away from him in shock and distaste. Trying to ignore the hurt look that immediately flashed onto his face, Hermione said shakily, "You've absorbed the Expedementia potion, Malfoy. I think we need to get you to the hospital wing," she began to stand up, careful to avoid the shards of glass and droplets of the pink potion.

"My name is Draco," the blond grabbed onto her arm lightly and guided her the rest of the way up to a standing position. Hermione immediately shook off his hand, feeling a pang in her chest when his face fell.

"Alright then, M- Draco, lets go to the hospital wing," Hermione slipped over his given name, not liking the way his eyes lit up when she spoke it.

"Why? I feel fine. Actually, I feel great because now I'm here with you," Draco smiled at her lovingly, and Hermione's heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, well, one doesn't usually tend to notice that they're under a love potion until after the fact, so we best get you-"

"I'm not under a love potion," Draco told her quickly, his hand again coming to rest on her arm lightly. "I've always loved you." The reassurance in his tone and the way his earnest grey eyes stared at her, trying to make her see that he 'loved' her, was enough to make her resolve start to melt.

"Right," she said slowly, feeling her limbs turn to goo when he smiled.

Well, they didn't call it a "potent love potion" for nothing.

He continued to stare at her adoringly, and Hermione had a chance to really study him for the first time in, well, ever. His eyes were what caught her attention first, dark pools of grey and silver, with a splash of blue around the iris. They reminded her of the sky during a rainstorm, constantly shifting from darker to lighter with his emotions.

He had broadened over the years, still not deep chested, but a bit slender and defined. A perfect balance, in her opinion, and in many other females opinions as well.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little flattered that this fine specimen called her beautiful, whether he was under a love potion or not.

Malfoy's intense gaze was beginning to make her cheeks flush in appreciation when a voice cut through the cold air of the dungeons.

"-been terribly out of sorts, lately. I suspect old age. Bah! No staff meeting tonight, I should have remembered! I knew something was niggling at the back of my brain when I left…I do wonder if there is a potion for memory loss. Ah yes, a matter most curious, curious….."

Hermione's eyes widened in terror. Slughorn was already back, and in the next moment, he was through the potions classroom door.

Of course, Malfoy had chosen that moment to latch onto Hermione from behind in a tight hug, pulling her up against his body and nuzzling his face into her neck.

Slughorn's eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of his head. "By all means, what is going on in here?" He clutched his chest at the sight of two of his favorite students in a tight embrace (however one sided said embrace was.)

Hermione made a vain attempt to break out of Malfoy's grasp, but he only hugged her tighter, burying his face in her hair and sighing softly. Her heart did a jack hammer trick in her chest. "Professor Slughorn!" she said, again trying to tug free. It was then that Slughorn saw the mess of glass and his desk, and more importantly, the Expedementia potion, the remains of which were spotted across the dungeon floor.

"What have you done?" he cried out, pulling at what little hair he had left on his head. Hermione winced, but quickly had to hold back a shudder when Malfoy breathed down the back of her neck.

"Is there a cure?" Hermione felt dread steadily begin to creep up her spine. Or maybe those were Malfoy's fingers.

"For normal dosages!" Slughorn snapped, "But it appears that Mr. Malfoy has received eight times the recommended amount of Expedementia!"

Hermione's stomach felt like it had decided to take a field trip to her throat.

"Get him to the hospital wing. I will join you there momentarily," Slughorn shooed the two out of the classroom, slamming the door behind them. Hermione stood still for a moment outside the door, it sounded suspiciously like Slughorn was banging his head against it repeatedly. Shrugging, Hermione tried to shake off Malfoy again, but she found it difficult, as he had basically attached himself to her.

"Malfoy, come on. Let go of me," she wiggled her shoulder persistently, and he was forced to let go, albeit rather unhappily. "We're going to go to the hospital wing."

"But I feel fine," Malfoy said in confusion, making a grab for her hair again, but she batted his hand away.

"Well, you're not fine. Let's go."

She very quickly discovered that trying to drag a stubborn Malfoy along with her wasn't going to work. However, almost as quickly, she realized that if she let Malfoy hold her hand, he came with her without protest.

So that is how Hermione Granger found herself holding hands with Draco Malfoy, walking through the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Paintings on the wall didn't disguise their whispers or rude points as the pair passed by. Great, Hermione mentally face palmed, news of this would be around Hogwarts before the end of the night.

"Soooo…." Malfoy's eyes slid sideways towards her. _Oh no_ , Hermione thought.

"What's your favorite color?" he asked her, his eyes snapping back to in front of him when he realized she caught him staring. "I like purple. You now, the purple that you see in the early sunrise in the morning." Malfoy looked at her expectantly.

"I'm kind of tired right now," she tried, not in the mood to have a conversation with Malfoy of all people.

Apparently, Malfoy took this as "ask a different question" instead of "do shut up, please."

"Okay, er-, what's the best book you've ever read, then?" he tried again, though this time he looked a bit uncertain.

"I don't really do small talk," she said sharply. Malfoy blinked a couple of times and stared at her, hurt apparent on his face. Hermione felt some guilt sliding into her mind. To make matters worse, he was giving her his wide-eyed-and-innocent look that grated on her determination to not communicate with him. Hermione stared straight ahead again, dead set on not falling into Malfoy's manipulation.

Thankfully, for the rest of the trip Malfoy was relatively quiet, though too often for her liking she caught him either staring at her wistfully or brushing his shoulder or elbow against hers.

Madam Pomfrey almost fell over in shock when the duo walked into her hospital wing hand in hand. However, she soon deduced from the starry look in Draco's eyes that there had evidently been an accident with a love potion.

"Right this way," she led them quickly over to an absent bed. "Sit," the medi-witch ordered Malfoy, and he did so without argument.

Hermione scanned the hospital wing. It was practically empty aside from a Hufflepuff first year that was unconscious in his bed, and another younger Ravenclaw that Hermione didn't know, moaning in over exaggerated agony. At least she hoped it was over exaggerated, because Madam Pomfrey paid no mind to it.

Madam Pomfrey began poking Malfoy with her wand, who tried to knock it away from him. "What potion did this?" Her question was directed towards Hermione.

"I'm not under a potion!" Malfoy argued, again attempting to get the older witch to stop prodding him with her wand.

"Oh dear," Madam Pomfrey seemed to realize that it was a stronger potion than she originally thought. She looked at Hermione, who nodded in agreement.

"It was the Expedementia potion…though there were several different types of it with varying accuracies because it was what our potions class made. And Slughorn mentioned something about it being eight times the regular dosage…"

"Eight times!" Pomfrey exclaimed before she went into a frenzy. "And he's convinced he's infatuated with you, Ms. Granger?" Madam Pomfrey asked, all business. Hermione's throat felt dry, but luckily she didn't have to answer, but Draco shyly said,

"I'm not lying," his eyes ducked behind his dark lashes and Hermione had to blink several times when he bashfully sent her a small smile.

The medi-witch's face softened a bit. "I know, dear," she patted him on the arm sympathetically.

Slughorn chose then to make a loud entrance through the door, tripping over his plaid and checkered robes. Hermione wasn't sure if she'd be more worried for her professor or for the floor if he fell.

"Horace," Madam Pomfrey nodded in greeting before she went back to scrutinizing Draco. He started to squirm uncomfortably under her gaze, and he shot Hermione a nervous look. She nodded in encouragement, which seemed to make him feel a bit better.

After a little bit of prodding- much to Draco's dismay- Madam Pomfrey shot Hermione a side glance. "Ms. Granger, with the potency of this potion, you're lucky that Mr. Malfoy didn't try to take any…advances on you." Madam Pomfrey said briskly, crinkling her nose in distain.

"Charming." Slughorn said flatly.

Hermione agreed.

Pomfrey shook her head. "Usually the effects of the Expedementia only last for around an hour. But if what you said about him getting more than the required amount is true, and if not all the potions he received were quite stable, well, I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."

"WHAT?!" That was Hermione.

Madam Pomfrey watched Hermione in pity. "It is too unpredictable. If students made the potions that affected Mr. Malfoy, then it could be dangerous to try and concoct an antidote for an unstable mix of potions. He will just have to wait it out."

"How long will that take?" Hermione asked nervously.

Madam Pomfrey shrugged. "Only time can tell. He'll have to stay here." The Ravenclaw started wailing in agony again, and with a not-so-discreet roll of her eyes, Madam Pomfrey took off towards his bed, scolding, "Hush, child!"

Hermione was left with Malfoy and Slughorn, two people whose company she definitely did not cherish.

"Ms. Granger," Slughorn began, and Hermione felt her stomach drop again. "I trusted that you would be able to behave maturely, but you have proven otherwise," Hermione hung her head. "You have made a mess of my classroom, ruined your classmates hard work, and participated in inappropriate conduct-"

"Wait a second, nothing happened between me and Malfoy!" Hermione interjected. How could Slughorn assume that? Hermione thought in outrage. Sure, maybe he had found them doing a half hug, but it could have been some sort of greeting, like a secret handshake or something.

Slughorn sent her a hesitant glare before shaking his head. "I am so disappointed in you. Both of you."

Malfoy didn't even have the heart to look ashamed. He just stared at Slughorn in a way that clearly said _'Are you done listening to yourself talk yet?'_

"I have no choice but to punish you."

Here it comes.

"You will have detention for the next ten nights. Of course, I don't want to dedicate that much time to you, so you will be bouncing around teachers. Filch and Hagrid might appreciate a little help." Slughorn continued, and Hermione's mouth popped open.

"Ten nights?!" she exclaimed in bewilderment. That seemed a bit extreme for an accident. Hermione immediately told him so.

"Shall I make it twenty?" Slughorn asked cheerfully, and Hermione kept quiet. "That's what I thought. Now, if you'll excuse me," he lumbered past her and towards Madam Pomfrey, and Hermione was finally alone with Malfoy, who was still sitting on the bed.

She could pick up little pieces of conversation from across the room.

"Horace, why did you leave such a strong love potion out in the open? Can you imagine if it fell into the wrong hands?" Madam Pomfrey was obviously referring to the majority of the female population of Hogwarts that would love to have the object of their affections become infatuated with them, even for a short amount of time.

Hermione couldn't make out Slughorn's response. Her attention was immediately brought back to Malfoy when he gently grabbed her hand.

Now, he hadn't done anything vicious, like try to bite off her fingers or attempt to see what her skin tasted like, but by the way she wrenched her hand away from his, you'd think he had tried to sample her blood.

"Don't touch me," she snapped, straightening out her shirt before addressing him again. "I'm going to go now. Good night," she said primly, and turned to go.

"Don't leave," he said miserably, hand dropping to his side, dejected.

Guilt wrapped around her heart like a thick blanket. She was the reason he was in here, hopelessly in love with her. If she were being honest with herself, she had egged him on, and then tripped him when he got up to leave so their argument wouldn't escalate further. That thought made her feel incredibly immature and insignificant. And now they didn't know how long he'd be here for.

She sat down on the bed next to his. "Blue," she said softly. Malfoy looked up, startled. "My favorite color is blue."


	4. Chapter 4

October 21, 1996

 **Dramione- A Love Fiasco**

 **The Deep, Dark and Dirty (and the Dirtier still)**

 _My dear friends, classmates, buddies, and cockroaches, we have an anomaly on our hands. Now, as an attendee of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, this could apply to a variety of things: Dumbledore trimmed his beard; Snape washed his hair; Hagrid introducing us to a creature that has an appetite for human flesh; man eating plants; Terry Boot spying on girls in the fourth floor bathroom; Dennis Creevey wears tighty whities (sorry Dennis) But alas, none of these are what I am here to inform you of. No, here today, I have the sole purpose of notifying you of a forbidden love that has blossomed right under our noses._

 _Why, I am speaking of the escapades of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy of course._

 _According to my sources, this illicit affair was budding long before the Potions class incident (see page 6 for background info on said class and the Acamara Lotus potion) Now they have thrown caution to the wind._

 _Both sides deny any feelings for each other. However, events took an interesting turn just last night when Hermione Granger made Draco Malfoy victim to a potent love potion, the Expedementia potion (for more on the Expedementia potion, go to your nearest teacher, I don't feel like explaining it) Suspicious, hmm?_

 _"I've always loved you." Malfoy was overheard telling Granger. Granger seems to be expressing her love through acts of violence (please, someone show this girl how to properly flirt. Hogwarts sees enough injuries as is) kicking, slapping, and tripping her object of affections, Slytherin's ice prince. Granger is experiencing a roller coaster of emotions. "He is attractive," she says shyly when asked what she thinks of the blond bombshell. Upon being questioned about the secrecy about their relationship, she replied, "The way everyone reacted today [in potions class w/Acamara Lotus] you'd think it was a crime to love him."_

 _The couple has been seen secretly meeting in the library during dinner and cuddling in Potions class. Who knows just how physical the two have been? "They just ooze sexual tension," a source- who wishes to remain anonymous for life-concerning purposes- tells me. "There has always been something there, under the surface," a fifth year Ravenclaw recalls. "Argh!" says a member of Draco Malfoy's Fan Club._

 _As mysterious, confusing, exciting, and romantic as this romance is, I will dutifully be here to report back to you on it. I promise all the juicy details. I shall leave no stone unturned concerning this controversial relationship. Mwhaha! Until next time!_

 _The Editor_

Hermione screamed.

It was a loud scream, one that could blow out ear drums and cause the plants in Professor Sprout's greenhouses to wilt.

"WHAT IS THIS?" she demanded a passing Hufflepuff. The small thing promptly fainted.

Seething and practically foaming at the mouth, Hermione stormed into the Great Hall, the Hogwarts Rattler's latest edition in her grip. Her entrance produced a tidal wave of whispers- the bolder ones actually pointed. Biting her lip, Hermione actually had to stop herself from growling at some of them.

"Sooo…." Harry began as she sat down. Her eyes turned to slits.

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"I just-"

"Harry Potter."

"Alright!"

"Hermione, what is this?" Ron shook the offending newspaper. "You and the ferret really aren't-?"

"None of it's true. I don't know who this 'Editor' thinks they are, but when we meet, I'm going to introduce them to my fist." Hermione teared apart a piece of bagel with her teeth viciously.

"As much as it wreaks treachery on your love life, you can't help but appreciate the word flow," Ginny piped up from the side. Harry, Ron and Hermione all turned to stare at her. The girl shrugged. "What? I acknowledge good writing when I see it."

Hermione shook her head. "Whoever it is writing this has been eavesdropping on my conversations and twisting my words."

"Whoever wrote this has a pretty creative imagination too," Harry fluffed the paper so that he could read it a little better. "I mean, purposely spilling the Expedementia potion on Malfoy? Bullocks!"

Hermione stared at her plate.

"Oh merlin," Ron dragged a hand down his face. "Hermione, what did you do?"

"It was an accident!" she squeaked, throwing her hands in front of her face to defend herself.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about this now. Later, in the Common room, away from unwanted ears," Harry scanned the Great Hall through narrow eyes, fending off everyone who had leaned in to hear the Golden Trio's conversation about the traitorous article.

"You never know who is listening," Ron attempted to look threatening like Harry, but the effect was lost by the crumbs covering his face.

"I have a feeling that it won't be the last you see of 'The Editor,'" Ginny said offhandedly. Hermione winced, but nodded in agreement. This morning had created nothing but agitation, embarrassment, anger, and that empty feeling that refused to go away. She stood up. She needed time to think, a more importantly, she had to find Malfoy. If that ferret had spilled anything to the reporters of the Hogwarts Rattler...

"Library, now," someone bumped her shoulder as he passed by her. Hermione didn't need to see to know who it was. Making a quick excuse, she hurried off, but was soon assaulted by the shouts of curious students.

"Just how 'physical' are you guys?"

"Yeah, hope you're making good of that sexual tension!"

"Has he made it to third base yet?"

"How dare you call him attractive! Only Draco's Fan Club members can do that!"

"Argh!"

"Hey, Hermione! I can teach you how to flirt, babe!"

"Snape lets you cuddle in his class? Perks of being with a Slytherin I suppose."

"I can never look at the library the same way again! Oh, corruption!"

"Do you think Malfoy's introduced her to his parents yet?"

"Probably not. She's still alive."

"Good work, Sherlock."

"It's elementary, my dear Watson."

"Forbidden love at Hogwarts!"

"Dennis wears tighty whities?"

"This is so romantic!"

"Hold the phone, I gotta call my mom about this- wait, give it back, I can't call anyone without it!"

She all but sprinted from the Great Hall and ran to the safe haven of the library. No one would follow her in there.

He was at the back table again, which suggested that he either wanted to talk in private or that he wanted to murder her discreetly. It was probably the latter, judging by the look on his face. But when she approached him and her hand unconsciously went to her wand in her pocket, a sly smile lifted the corners of his lips. Merlin help her.

"You think I'm attractive?"

Hermione blinked before rapidly shaking her head. "What? No!" That wasn't what she expected to hear first thing. Maybe a lecture about how she was dirtying his reputation, or some threats to stay away from him. A normal person would have immediately demanded answers about the article. But then again, Hermione noted, this wasn't a normal person. It was Draco Malfoy.

Hermione gulped suddenly. Was he going to ream her out about the Expedementia incident? Did he even remember it? She recalled Slughorn saying something about the Expedementia victim possibly not remembering the time while under the love potion. She sure hoped he didn't remember it, for both their sakes. After he had given her some puppy eyes, she had stayed with him in the Hospital Wing until late in the evening, when he had fallen asleep. If she were being honest, the conversation they had was actually kind of…cute. There, she said it. But really, who wouldn't think that an innocent looking Draco Malfoy asking about your favorite color was adorable?

It was such a shame. Madam Pomfrey had let him go, so she could only assume that the potion was out of his system. Looks like there would be no more debates over colors.

Hermione took a deep breath to clear her thoughts and Malfoy smirked at her. "The article says that you think-"

"And the article also says that you've always loved me. Are you suggesting that is true as well?" Hermione countered.

Draco blanched. "Point taken," he cleared his throat as if to say something, but then changed his mind.

"Something's bothering you, just spit it out," Hermione said impatiently.

Draco gave her a dirty look. "Did you really spill the Expedementia potion on me on purpose?"

Hermione's mouth popped open. "No! I-it was an accident!"

"Really." He said flatly. It didn't take a genius to know that he wasn't convinced.

"Yes," Hermione stared at him. "Why would I purposely do something like that?" She could almost feel the anger that flared up in his eyes. Or maybe she did feel it. Hermione clenched her fists together at her sides.

"I don't know, to embarrass me? To humiliate me in front of the entire school?"

"I embarrassed you?" she asked, and whatever Malfoy was going to say next was lost on his tongue.

"I-what, no, you just-"

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, it was an accident, really," she said honestly. His eyes seemed to bore into her soul as he stared at her in silence.

"Okay," he said, running a hand through his hair. Hermione blinked as her eyes followed the movement.

"Look! It's them! Dramione! It's true! The article holds the sacred truth!" Terry Boot exclaimed, pointing his finger and gesturing at Hermione and Draco wildly.

"Maybe the library wasn't the best choice as a meeting spot," Hermione groaned, preparing to slap herself in the face.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Come on," he grabbed her wrist to pull her away, and the growing crowd went crazy. Draco dropped it like it burned him.

"Hey, look over here! I want your picture!"

"Hold hands or something!"

"Snog her!"

Draco began shoving through the developing throng of people, and Hermione quickly followed after him. A camera flashed, dazing her. "I'm a reporter for the Hogwarts Rattler. I was wondering if you'd take the time to answer some of these questions-"

"No!" Hermione ducked her head and ran for it, but she didn't feel safe when she was out of the library. She followed Draco as they ran through the corridors, trying to lose the mass of people. Before long, it was only the two of them alone in one of the many drafty corridors, but Draco didn't slow his speed much.

"We are not done talking. I demand answers!" Hermione chased after him, trying to keep up with his swift pace. He stopped abruptly and spun around to face her. It almost resulted in her crashing into him. Instantly, her mouth opened to reprimand him, but no words came out. She couldn't help it, she stared. His grey eyes were bright and cheeks slightly flushed from running through the corridors. His chest was heaving as his breath left his mouth in little pants. All of this painted an erotic image in her mind. Her pulse jumped.

"What are you waiting for, then?" he challenged her, gazing down at her in a look that could be described as defiance.

"I thought we had a truce! An agreement to not _explore_ this entire…thing! It was our secret," Hermione gestured between the two of them, and Draco's brow crinkled in confusion, or maybe it was anger.

"Then maybe you shouldn't have gone blabbing to the reporters of the Hogwarts Rattler! They have a history of blowing things out of proportion, what were you thinking? Was this some stupid revenge plot gone wrong?" he demanded.

"No! How can you say that?" Hermione glared at him fiercely.

"How else would 'The Editor', and now the _whole school_ , know about all of this if you didn't tell them?" His voice was beginning to gain more volume, and Hermione's matched it.

" _How dare you accuse me of_ \- wait, if you didn't say anything to them, and I didn't say anything…who did?" Her eyes widened as his words processed. In a new fit of paranoia she swept her eyes around the empty corridor, hoping that it truly as empty as it appeared.

Malfoy picked up for her. "So either someone is listening in on our conversations and spying on us, or…" He too seemed a bit more apprehensive about their location, now.

"The people we did tell the details to betrayed us." Hermione finished for him dryly.

"Stupid Gryffindors, you always put your trust in the wrong people," he sneered at her. No doubt he was about to launch into a speech about how Slytherins were superior beings and blah blah blah.

"I'm not in the best of moods lately, don't try me." Hermione practically growled, trying to disregard the jab at her and her friends.

"Welcome to my life," Draco muttered.

A scathing retort was on her tongue when she froze. His words shook her to the core. Just like that, it clicked. The reason why she'd been feeling off for days, surrounded by negativity and all things that quite honestly she associated with Malfoy. Feeling unbalanced and odd. She was practically experiencing his life, for Merlin's sake.

"No way," she murmured, staring at her hands then at Malfoy.

"What now," he rolled his eyes, but his sneer slipped from his face when he saw her expression.

"Malfoy, we have a problem," Hermione said with a new dawning horror. "I think we've created an Empathy Link."

* * *

"That's impossible."

She wished it was.

Sighing to herself, Hermione ran a hand through her hair. Or rather, she tried to. Her fingers immediately got snared in the mass of curls. "No, it's not. You heard what Slughorn said-" she painfully tried to tug them out. No luck.

"I'm not in love with you!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, still working to untangle her hand from her head. "Maybe you didn't hear what Slughorn said. An Empathy Link doesn't have to be created over romantic relations," she said slowly, letting the words sink in.

"I still hate you, then," Malfoy said, though there was a flicker of uncertainty that had Hermione's stomach twisting into painful knots.

"Glad we've settled that," Hermione muttered, and gave another attempt at freeing her hand. Cursing herself under her breath, she massaged her scalp with her free hand, grimacing.

"How can you be sure?" Malfoy asked suspiciously, like she had intentionally done this.

"It makes sense," Hermione began to pace back and forth. "I've been feeling emotions that I shouldn't be. I get angry for no reason, I feel alone in a room full of people. It's odd. I know that the Acamara Lotus potion heightens feelings, but it only enhances feelings that were already there in the first place,"

"Unless you're feeling my emotions," Draco caught on, though he didn't look too happy about it. "But one thing doesn't make sense."

"What's that?"

"I haven't been feeling your emotions," Malfoy said honestly

Hermione was stunned. "What? How can that be?" Was it possible for a Link to be one sided?

"You might be sensing my emotions, Granger, but I'm not picking up on any sense of obnoxious happiness or anything else out of place."

"Are you sure?" Hermione stressed, not liking to feel so confused. Just when she thought that she had this thing figured out...

"Positive."

Hermione groaned in frustration.

"Should we ask Slughorn about it or-"

"No!" Malfoy said immediately. "Do you really want more people to know about this?"

"He's a teacher! He's not going to say anything to other students!" Hermione argued, but Malfoy shook his head.

"We should keep this to ourselves for now until we figure out more about what's happening. Agreed?"

With a sigh of reluctance, Hermione said, "Agreed."

"Good."

"I'm not making any promises- What's the matter with you?" Hermione questioned, noticing the tight expression on his face, like he had just tasted something sour.

"I don't want you to feel my emotions!" Admittedly, she already knew that. She could feel the unease rolling off of him in waves.

"I hardly want to experience them either, Malfoy," she said cooly.

"But…you're violating my privacy!"

"It's not by choice," Hermione reminded him bitterly, but he still looked incredibly uncomfortable. "Malfoy, it's not like I can hear your thoughts or anything."

Draco looked scandalized by the idea.

"Look, can you just…not tune into my emotions closely?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I can't really control what I pick up from you. I suppose I can try to block out some, but I can't make any promises."

Foot steps sounded a little ways away, and Hermione took a step back. "We shouldn't be seen together, we need to give the article and the rest of the students time to air out. See you in detention," she said, before spinning on her heel and running off, trying to ignore the surge of hollowness in the pit of her stomach.

This was all so strange, it was giving her a headache. As she walked further away from Malfoy, she could feel his confusion mingling with her own. Would this supposed Empathy Link change their relationship? Would things be different from here on out? The entire conversation, the entire ordeal, was alarming.

There was one concept about that conversation that terrified her. If they truly had a one sided Empathy Link, then Hermione was feeling Draco's emotions. She was dying to ask him about it, but Malfoy was already uncomfortable enough and felt like she was encroaching on his privacy, so she had kept silent. Hermione had promised to not dwell on his emotions for too long- by Draco's request- but there was one feeling of his that scared her. The numbness that had been consuming her. A sense of relief had washed over Hermione when she realized that the feeling wasn't her own. But at the same time, she was frightened. Why did Draco constantly feel so empty?

* * *

"Ah! Madam Pince! I can't thank you enough for this!" Slughorn cried and patted the willowy librarian on the back a bit too roughly- she nearly went crashing to the ground. She grimaced and adjusted her glasses.

"Yes, well, I'm sure I'll find some valuable way for you to return the favor," she muttered, before turning to Hermione and Draco. "Come with me."

She led the two into a back room. The carpet was caked with crumbled chalk, and the small space was filled with rows and rows of filing cabinets, baskets, and a few odd shelves, all overflowing with parchment and books. Dust bunnies were inhabiting the room with fervor, and the air was thick and stale, explained by the lack of windows.

"I wasn't prepared to take students in for detention," she grumbled and glared at them like it was their fault for Slughorn dumping them with her. "This room holds the records of every book we have in this library," Hermione's eyes widened. "You will be cataloguing them."

"All of them?" Hermione squeaked, knowing first hand just how many books there were in the library. Madam Pince nodded in confirmation, looking slightly relieved that it wasn't her own task.

"You will categorize them by subject, and then individually in each subject by title and author. I will come fetch you in a few hours. I expect you to only perform your task. I will be in to check on your progress. You can start with the 'A's, by author. And oh, wands please?"

"What?!" Draco exclaimed, and Hermione's own jaw dropped. This task was hard enough with wands to aid them, but performing it without magic? They would be here all night!

Madam Pince glared at them in a way that shut them up of all further protest. Grudgingly, Hermione pulled her wand out of her pocket and handed it over, watching as Malfoy did the same. Nodding again shortly, Madam Pince turned and marched out the door. "Students…detention…Horace…fluorescent lights…" she mumbled, tucking stray hairs back into her tidy bun. The door slammed behind them, leaving Hermione and Draco alone in the dusty room.

"This is all you're fault." Malfoy growled, stomping over to a filing cabinet and yanking it open with unnecessary force.

Well, technically, it may have been her fault, but Hermione wasn't about to admit that.

"Please, if you weren't so clumsy, you wouldn't have crashed into the table," Hermione picked up a catalogue and after inspecting it, tossed it aside. Casually, she glanced over at Malfoy. She hadn't spoken to him yet about the Expedementia incident in detail, and she had no intention to. Of course, Malfoy had other ideas.

"And I suppose it's my klutzy antics that landed me in the hospital wing under the effects of an incredibly potent, and may I add dangerous, love potion." Hermione winced as she recalled the previous night.

Hermione said shortly, "I suppose," before turning her full attention to the filing cabinet in front of her. It had the most fascinating pattern of spider webs entangled between the cabinet and the book shelf next to it. There was even a fly caught in the sticky silk.

Hermione was still intently staring at the spider web, fully intending to not look at Malfoy, when the blond shuffled up beside her. She thought she was in for it when she heard him exhale loudly. "What…er, what exactly happened?" he scratched the back of his neck, probably at the horrifying prospect of asking her a civil question.

Hermione frowned at him oddly; an entire chunk of his memory was in her hands to be replaced and altered. It was strange that he was trusting her with it. Not that he had many options, but…

"How much do you remember?"

"You mean after you sent me flying to the floor?" he sneered at her. Ah, civil moment gone.

Hermione gave him a smirk to match. "Yes, after that," his eyes narrowed, and Hermione hurriedly opened the filing cabinet and shoved a folder into his hands. Better to have his hands full so he couldn't attack her as easily, she reasoned.

"I've got bits and pieces. Like Slughorn yelling at you when he first walked into the dungeons, you being all jumpy, you staring into my eyes in awe-"

"Excuse me, I don't remember that bit-" the pile of parchment she had been holding fell to the floor heavily with a _thwap_ , the scent of old paper ruffling upward towards her nose.

A smirk snaked onto his lips in triumph. Hermione growled. "Then I remember most of the stuff that happened in the hospital wing, a bunch of boring medical things that Pomfrey was fussing over. And Slughorn yelling at you- again," he said cheekily. Hermione's fingers itched to slap him, but her growing anxiety was stronger.

"Do you remember anything after that?" asked Hermione slowly, watching him to gauge his reaction.

"It's a bit fuzzy," he shrugged, and Hermione unconsciously breathed out a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure how he'd react to the fact that she had caved last night and stayed with him until the small hours of the morning. He didn't need to know that she had felt _guilty_ about what happened. No, that wouldn't do.

"That's pretty much it," she lied, feigning innocence as she swept up another group of folders to examine. He stared at her with narrowed eyes for a long moment, then seemed to accept her answer.

The next twenty minutes found them in silence. They had both decided that sitting on the old dusty carpet was more comfortable then standing and sorting through papers. Hermione could feel the tension radiating off of Malfoy, which was putting her on edge. She bit her tongue to keep herself from asking what was bothering him, because quite frankly, now it was bothering her too. This Empathy Link situation was off to a bad start.

Shaking her head, Hermione turned her attention to the stacks of parchment before her. Twenty-Three Uses of Spider Legs in Aiding Pregnancy and A Wizard's Guide to Hair Removal, two books Hermione was sure she didn't want anything to do with, had apparently been checked out by Zacharias Smith as of last Saturday. Curious, Hermione's nose crinkled, that being a matter she didn't think any further about. Hufflepuffs.

The silence continued and Hermione began to feel an odd tingling sensation. Perhaps it was anxiety, it would explain why her stomach was twisting in knots. "Malfoy," she said cautiously, willing his eyes to meet hers. He rolled them first, but they did meet her brow ones, after an over-exaggerated sigh of course. "Are you alright? You seem very…on edge."

Malfoy immediately glared at her. "You said you wouldn't focus on the Link," she noticed that he intentionally avoided saying 'my emotions.'

"Maybe you should try to feel less strongly," she glared right back. And just like that, the feeling was gone. Hermione almost gasped at the absence of it.

"How'd you do that?" she exclaimed in alarm. Malfoy glowered at her.

"Do what?"

"You just cut it off!"

"Cut _what_ off?" he demanded incredulously

"The Link! I can't feel anything from you!" she said hurriedly, and Malfoy's eyes widened, reflecting the same surprise she felt.

"That's great!" he said, looking positively elated. A burst of happiness so bright and colorful nearly knocked Hermione off her feet. She gripped onto the filing cabinet and bit her lip to keep from gasping.

"It's back," she said softly, feeling a pang of regret for informing him when his eyes dropped to the floor. The two fell back into the silence that was becoming so common for them. Sighing, Hermione dropped a pile of parchment, smiling as the scent of old, crisp paper wafted up to her.

"What's the matter with you?"

She lifted her head to find the blond staring at her as if she had three heads. "It's just…I've always loved the smell of parchment." She admitted a little self-consciously.

Malfoy scoffed, tossing Reptiles; The Ultimate Aphrodisiac across the room, it landing with a loud thud on the dusty carpet. Hermione waved her hand in front of her, coughing as a dust plume infiltrated the stuffy air. "You don't see me stopping to sniff every piece, and I happen to like it a lot too."

Hermione wondered if Malfoy realized what he had just said or the memories it personally drudged up in Hermione's mind.

 _Honeysuckle, pine and parchment._

"I remember," she said softly. Malfoy's head snapped up and his eyes met hers. He pulled his stormy gaze away from her, but it flitted back, then away again; much like a child caught staring at their school crush. Shifting uncomfortably, Malfoy attempted a glare before it faltered and he wrenched his eyes away from hers, slightly pink in the cheeks.

It was weird, being able to experience Malfoy's emotions. In the past he had struck her as emotionless- again, the Human Rock, anyone?- and she often questioned whether the Pureblood teen billionaire even _had_ feelings. Even if he had them, he did a fine job of filing them away behind a stony façade. But now, she had access to a whole new perspective. Every sneer held something; anger, embarrassment, anxiety, irritation, the list went on. Every time he'd turn his face from her, she could tell what was running through his mind just by what he was feeling. Just now, when he had looked away from her, she could feel the embarrassment radiating off of him, and the irritation with himself for not catching the implications of his words.

In a way, she knew Malfoy better than anyone else did. Hermione wasn't blind; she knew that Malfoy didn't let anyone in. Even his best mate Blaise Zabini and personal lap dog Pansy Parkinson seemed to be just as in the dark about their friend as everyone else was. Draco Malfoy was forever unreadable. Until now, that is. And Hermione could feel how nervous he was that she would exploit this opportunity.

But she wouldn't do that. Not just yet anyways, not unless she were provoked. Because that was their relationship, really. Though she would be kidding herself if Hermione said that Malfoy wouldn't have already used this Empathy Link against her were the situation switched.

Pulling herself back to the present, Hermione tuned into the Link, and blinked a few times at his stand-offish mood. Right, so the whole Acamara Lotus smell thing was probably a big No-No Topic. Discussing this with her supposed love was making both of them uncomfortable. However, it was a gateway to another conversation that Hermione knew the two of them direly needed to have.

"What are we going to do about our…predicament?" asked Hermione, shifting her weight uncertainly from foot to foot. Malfoy shot her a glare.

"Let's forget about it," he said briskly, shoving a pile of papers into a random folder. It was an obvious 'We're done talking' move.

"In case you've forgotten, your emotions have become my emotions. It makes 'forgetting' about it a bit difficult," she put her hand on an old magazine Malfoy had just tried to move, stopping it in its place on the table. His grey eyes flashed up to hers, startled.

"It would be easier if we just-"

"What, not pay attention to this? Whether you like it or not, we are in this together. This isn't just something we can ignore! I mean, we hardly know anything about Empathy Links. For all we know, ours could be growing stronger with every passing day!" The last part was said in a hiss, and Malfoy's eyes widened in alarm.

"No…" he breathed, and Hermione could see that she had successfully ignited a spark of determination in him, even if it were at her own expense.

A thud sounded from outside the door, followed by a bit of shuffling. Madam Pince must be coming to check on them. "I think we should do some research, try and find a way to close off the Link." Hermione lowered her voice.

" _You_ can do research-" he corrected with a sneer.

"No, what part of _we are in this together_ did you miss? We need to sort this out as soon as possible, and with double the man-power, the faster we'll find a solution." Hermione stated firmly.

It was almost fascinating to watch the struggle of their argument flicker across his face. His mouth tightened, his brow twitched, then they shifted into an annoyed glare as he realized he was fighting a losing battle.

"Fine," he said, albeit unhappily. "We'll meet in the library tomorrow after lunch, we should get more work done if we divide and conquer."

Hermione winced, "I don't think that's a good idea. Remember what happened the last time we were seen together?" She was of course referring to the school newspaper's article about their supposed "love fiasco." Malfoy cringed as well, and then suggested something that had her instincts screaming at her.

"So we come here after hours, then."

Alarm bells went off in her brain. First off, it definitely did not seem safe to be in such close confines with Malfoy for a long period of time. Second, it did not seem safe to be with Malfoy _alone_. She, for one, didn't doubt his loathing towards her, and wouldn't be surprised if when she showed up for research he 'divided and conquered' her dead body instead.

Hermione immediately recoiled from that mental image, completely shocked at where her mind had taken her. "What? No! If we get caught we'll be in big trouble and-" she began to list off all that was wrong with the idea- save the murder bit- and-

" _If_ we get caught, Granger, which we won't." He smirked at her. Hermione exhaled loudly in an expression of her annoyance.

"You're forgetting that we have detention for the next nine nights," she pointed out, triumphant when she saw his face fall. "By the time we do all of our homework and get back from detention it'll be late, and I am not going to lose any more sleep over this." She stated firmly.

"I suppose I'll see you here tomorrow morning then, bright and early." The smirk was back and as infuriating as ever, only widening when Hermione's eyes bugged out of her head.

"What?"

"Granger, dear, you've knocked out every other option, and if we want to get to the bottom of our Link and our so called _love_ , we need to do some research, and we need to do it in the morning," He said carelessly, leaning in a little closer to the brunette. His cool, mint breath fanned across her face, tickling her nose and cheeks. "What's the matter? Afraid of being seen with me?"

 _Yes_.

"No."

"Perfect. So we have a deal then?"

Grudgingly, Hermione stuck out her hand to meet his. His fingers wrapped around her small ones, and Draco was suddenly overwhelmed by her scent. Honeysuckle and vanilla, an oddly pleasing smell. He inhaled deeply before quickly letting go of her hand, trying to forget the warmth of her hand enveloping his cool one.

Draco didn't have time to dwell on it, as Madam Pince came barging through the door. The old oak frame hit the wall with a shuddering bang that cracked the glass in it. Silence ensued for about five seconds before the growling librarian shooed them out, ordering them to return to their respective houses.

The two teens booked it out, and as Hermione started for the staircase leading up to Gryffindor Tower, Malfoy called out with a smirk,

"See you bright and early, princess!"

Princess? Seeing Malfoy right at the crack of dawn tomorrow morning? More detentions to come? Hermione swayed a bit and grabbed onto the railing, watching as the young Malfoy strutted down to the dungeons.

She had a feeling that the days to come would only be much, much worse.

* * *

"You're coming in late," Blaise commented. Draco dropped into his designated chair in the Slytherin common room. It was his by right, he claimed it alongside his status as Slytherin's Prince, and no one else dared sit in it. Technically, Draco thought, someone had sat there one time, but that was Millicent Bulstrode, and he'd be mad if he tried to move her (the girl was heavy _and_ terrifying, there was no budging her.)

"Detention," Draco said shortly. But of course Blaise already knew this.

"How's our resident beaver?" he smirked, glancing at Draco from over his crossword puzzle in the Daily Prophet.

Draco groaned. "What do you think?"

"You don't want me to answer that," Blaise casually crossed off one of the numbers and his eyes lit up. "What's a muggle form of transportation?"

Draco sat up, startled by the sudden, uncommon question for a Pureblood. "What?" he rubbed his head, having hit it against his chair in his surprise.

"Three letters, starts with a 'c'…" Blaise murmured thoughtfully, chewing on his quill. He spat out feathers a few seconds later, a cross look on his face.

The blond scratched his head. "You're asking _me_ , of all people?" Really now, as if Draco Malfoy would know the first thing about muggle transportation.

Blaise shrugged. "Train?"

"That doesn't have the letter 'c' in it, you idiot."

"That's all I've got then, my ideas have been retired," Blaise replied glumly, apparently not noticing the stab at his intellect. Draco almost felt sorry for the kid, he looked so defeated. Almost. The other part of him- the majority- just laughed.

"Are you sure it starts with a 'c'?" Draco asked, leaning forward to peer at the crossword. Most of it was complete, Draco had to give him credit. But upon looking closer at it, he noticed several errors throughout the puzzle.

Draco sighed. Blaise had spelled 'cauldron' wrong, which in turn threw off the words 'quaffle' and 'wand'.

"Yes I'm sure, unless a small golden ball caught during Quidditch games isn't a snitch." Blaise said with a 'duh' expression on his face. Realizing a losing battle when he saw one, Draco gave up and leant back in his chair, his eyes slipping closed as he steepled his fingers.

Blaise raised an eyebrow. "That's a pensive look if I've ever seen one. What's on your mind?"

Opening one eye, Draco peered at his fellow Slytherin before saying slowly, "Nothing."

Knowing the Malfoy heir and recognizing the lie, Blaise leaned forward with a new found enthusiasm. His crossword lay abandoned on the floor. "Girl problems?" he said a little too excitedly.

"No," Draco responded harshly, but he had spoken too quickly. A smile grew on Blaise's handsome features, and Draco groaned.

"Who is it?"

"No one," said Draco firmly. Blaise didn't take the hint.

"Come on, something is obviously bothering you. Or should I say, someone?" Blaise wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. Draco always felt dizzy after watching Blaise do this. The dark brows would wiggle like caterpillars trying to climb off of his face. It was a frightening event to witness.

Suddenly, the eyebrow movement stopped. Before Draco could thank the heavens, he was immediately cursing, as Blaise had returned to his previous topic. "Hey, weren't you dating that one girl-?" he began, but Draco shook his head, already knowing what he was going to say.

"Ended that three weeks ago."

"What about that blond chick-"

"Ended that five months ago."

"But there was that one-"

"Ended _that_ last year!"

Blaise pouted is faux misery. "You never tell me anything anymore. I'm always left to fend for myself," Poor, insignificant Blaise, Draco thought dramatically. "Unless…" Horror began to creep up on him as Blaise's eyes lit up once more and the eyebrow wiggling resumed. "It's Granger?"

Draco sat up abruptly in his chair. "Whoever said that I was having girl troubles? This has nothing to do with girls. Nothing at all." He tightened his tie, only to loosen it a second later. He then tried kicking off his shoes to portray a picture of ease, but he decided halfway through the process that he didn't want his shoes off, leaving him with one bare foot and another dressed.

Blaise smirked in triumph. "So it is Granger," he nodded slowly to himself as if it would help him process the information. He wiggled his eyebrows some more in thought. Draco shuddered involuntarily.

Taking his silence as confirmation, Blaise turned thoughtful. "Have you ever considered trying anything?" he asked seriously. Draco's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean what I said," Blaise responded simply. "You know that there's a physical attraction between you two," he looked at Draco pointedly, whose face flushed lightly under his gaze. When Draco didn't deny it, Blaise continued. "All I'm saying is that you should try to, I dunno, _stimulate_ that chemistry between you."

"What?! I don't have a death wish, Zabini, she'd skewer me! And then stand over me and laugh as she watched me bleed!" Draco cried in a panic. His face turned hot as he thought of all the things he and Granger could stimulate.

 _Oh, gods, think of something, quick. McGonagall in a bathing suit, Snape giving someone a lap dance. Snape giving a bikini clad McGongall a lap dance._

 _Third time's the charm._

"While that may be a likely outcome, you'll never know unless you try!" Blaise clapped his hands together cheerily. Seeing Draco's horror stricken face, Blaise adopted a softer tone. "For all you know, a sexual attraction may be the only thing the potion is referring to. Try something with her, then see how you feel afterwards. Then we'll know how valid this potion and love debacle is."

Knowing this would be a good plan but too worried about the repercussions, Draco rubbed a hand down his face. "This is too much work. I think I need to move to an island only populated by males. Girls involve drama." He groaned loudly.

Blaise smiled slyly. "I'm not sure you'd be comfortable with everything you'd have to do in an all male area."

Draco thought about this for a moment before he snorted. "You'd be surprised."

With that, Blaise fell to the floor laughing. He stayed down there for a little while, and Draco would occasionally break his stare from the fireplace to check and make sure his friend hadn't died of asphyxiation.

After a few minutes, Blaise reemerged, his eyes bulging slightly and his hands clawing at his throat. Draco allowed him another moment to gather his breath. "Kinky, eh?" Blaise managed to squeak in a strangled voice. It sounded like he had just broken out of a coffin and was attempting to speak for the first time in fifty years.

 _Probably what Dumbledore's bedroom voice sounds like,_ Draco thought dryly to himself. He then mentally kicked himself consecutively for several long moments for that thought. He felt as though a bucket of ice water had been thrown over his head. Yuck.

"If it doesn't work out with Granger, I'll join you in this male utopia. We can even be-!"

Blaise was cut off by Draco knocking him to the ground again. Some things were better left unsaid. As for Draco, he didn't need to conjure anymore disturbing mental images for the night.

* * *

"Hermione!" her name was called out the moment she set foot in the common room. With dread and an inkling of impatience, she whirled around, looking for the source.

It was a relief to find that the majority of Gryffindor had already retired to their dormitories for the night, save two lone figures sitting on an overstuffed sofa in front of the roaring fireplace. Sighing to herself, Hermione slunk over to them.

It was obvious that the two boys were aching to bombard her with questions, no doubt about the article and the ferret, two subjects she had refused to speak of all day. However, they kept their cool, which was surprising enough to say the least.

"Hermione," Harry said again, looking slightly calmer this time. He patted the seat in between him and Ron, who scooted over to accommodate her. Hermione shuffled over, nodding her head as a signal for them to ask away.

"What's going on?" Ron immediately blurted out. "Is Malfoy hurting or threatening you in any way? Did he make up the article? Is he making you feel unsafe? Has he touched you? Has he tried to touch you? How did you 'accidentally' spill a love potion on him-?" the red head burst, and Hermione shook her head and held up her hands.

"One question at a time!" she cried, suddenly overwhelmed and very tired. The two boys had the decency to look ashamed, and they both muttered their apologies.

"How about we start with the article," said Harry gently, and Hermione ran a hand through her hair, which promptly got caught in the tangled curls.

"First off, you should both know better than to think that me and Malfoy are involved in any way," she frowned, and again both boys mumbled unintelligent words in apology. "No, we aren't involved in an 'illicit affair'-"

"What about the Expedementia incident?" Ron butted in before Hermione could take another breath. Oh, _that_. The raven haired boy was staring at her, curiosity reflected in his eyes.

"That was an accident," she tugged at her hand, which was still caught in her hair. It was pulling on that _one_ piece that was wreaking havoc on her roots- "And everything that happened after that didn't mean anything-"

"Woah, what happened afterwards?" Harry inquired in a new state of alarm.

As calmly and casually as she could, Hermione told them how she had spent the majority of the previous night with Malfoy in the hospital wing. It was out of sympathy, purely, she reassured them, decidedly leaving out the part where she actually found the Malfoy under the influence of the Expedementia…cute. If she didn't even understand that, how could she expect her two best friends- who had an even larger animosity towards the blond than she did- to comprehend it?

"I'm worried he is going to try something because of the whole Acamara Lotus potion," Harry frowned at the air in front of him.

She got up and stretched lazily. "You have to remember that anything he tries affects him too. The whole 'being in love' thing isn't exactly one sided, so he'd be hurting himself if he did try something."

Her spectacled friend muttered about how he wouldn't put it past the ferret, and then he got up as well, bidding her and Ron goodnight. Now _that_ seemed like a good idea. Merlin knew that she would need to get some sleep before she had to deal with a snarky blond in the morning.

Ron's voice called out to her when she reached the staircase. "Hermione?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think he's attractive?" Ron wrung his hands in front of him. The brunette's eyebrows knit together. He was asking her if she thought _Malfoy_ was attractive? What was this about?

"I hardly think that's an appropriate question-" she began, mostly because the answer was _yes_ , she did find the Slytherin attractive. He was a bleeding blond Adonis dammit!

"So you do, then," Her old time friend said sullenly, his red hair literally lit up by the flames licking around the stones of the fireplace. Oh Ron...

The witch sighed- she'd been doing a lot of that lately- and shook her head. "Even if I did, his nasty personality would eliminate any physical attractiveness."

"Yeah, okay," he nodded, albeit a bit glumly. "Good night, Hermione."


	5. Chapter 5

October 22, 1996

"Ah, the morning is young and so are we," Malfoy propped his feet up on the table and lounged backwards in his chair. Hermione did her best to ignore the throbbing that began behind her eyes when she saw him. Instead, she slapped her hands on the table in front of his feet, shoving them off and giving him a glare.

"We are here to work, Malfoy. I don't plan on spending any extra time with you than I have to." She all but growled. It was still relatively dark outside, the sun hung low in the sky and there was a slight chill to the morning air. It had been difficult sneaking out of her dormitory without Lavender, Parvati, or Fay noticing, and an even harder getting into the library before it was open. Of course, if Madam Pince had found her, she couldn't have minded that much, seeing as Hermione was the star student and practically _lived_ in the library. Malfoy, though? Not so much. They'd both be kicked out before Hermione could say 'research'.

"Sure thing, princess," Malfoy swung his legs around and stood up with an agile grace Hermione immediately found herself jealous of. He shot a look over his shoulder at her. "Now whose the one standing around. Get working!"

"Shut up, Malfoy," Hermione face palmed. It was going to be a _long_ morning. "And don't call me princess!" She added as an afterthought. He laughed. It was an evil, evil sound.

A while later, Hermione nearly fell asleep in the pages of the book she was reading. Checking her watch- it was 7:10 in the morning, they still had twenty minutes until breakfast- she shook herself several times and tried to subtly wipe drool off her chin and the text, blushing. The thick, leathery book was on exotic potions and how to brew them, yet she was having no luck. Acamara Lotus wasn't even mentioned in the index!

Glancing up at Malfoy, she found that the book he was reading was upside down. The git, he was lounging around pretending to read while she did all the work! She growled again and snatched it from him.

"Hey!" the blond exclaimed, very surprised that his hands were now empty. Draco stared at her through the dim morning light, startled. "What was that for?"

"Sorry, I thought I could look at this while you find another book to pretend to read," she rolled her eyes at him, and he threw his hands up in annoyance.

"Face it, bookworm, there are no books on the Acamara Lotus potion," Draco leaned backwards against the bookshelf in defeat. They had been searching for a half an hour for any tomes on the topic, and had once again fallen short. Hermione blew some hair out of her eyes irritably. How was it that there was no research on such a powerful potion? It had been outlawed for a reason, surely there were books on that?

Hermione all but scratched her chin in thought, causing the blond to snort nosily. She quickly hushed him, the sound far too loud in the silent library. "Maybe we're going about this the wrong way," she slowly told herself more than him. The Slytherin leaned forward. "We want to find books on the Acamara Lotus potion so that we can find information about Empathy Links-"

"And they call you the smartest witch of our age, why?"

Shooting daggers with her eyes at him caused Malfoy to shut up momentarily. Hermione decided to continue despite his comment. "Maybe we need to look for books specifically on Empathy Links to find what we need."

Grey eyes widened in surprise for a second. "Ah, I knew there was a reason for it," Malfoy smirked at her, and Hermione threw a book at his head. It missed, unfortunately. Even so, Malfoy did start cursing her existence and said book, which made Hermione smile unnervingly. Malfoy noticed this. "Do you by any chance get off on pain?"

"Just yours," she smiled sweetly, fiercely fighting down a blush. Rightfully so, Draco flushed too before turning even paler than normal. Ah, so he must have suddenly realized the wrath of Hermione Granger.

Quickly recovering, he smiled slyly. "Is that an offer?"

Immediately, Hermione blanched, and not because the idea sounded unappealing. She decided it was probably in her best interest to put some much needed distance in between her and Malfoy. Picking up a tome, she quickly slid past the smirking blond to the bookcase.

"Of course not," she replied, just as fast. She was thankful that her back was turned to him as she pretended to look for where the book was supposed to be properly filed away. Otherwise, he would have full access to her glowing cheekbones.

"Really now?" his voice sounded closer now. Or maybe it was just her nerves, magnifying her senses? Gods, she hoped so.

"Yes." Hermione said firmly, almost screaming when she spotted the gap in the dark oak bookshelf for the book. Thinking fast, Hermione faked scanning the spines of the books in front of her so that she wouldn't have to turn around.

His voice was suddenly right next to her ear, and Hermione froze. "Because I will gladly take you up on that offer." His words were velvety, dark, and sensual, the sound licking around her ear and causing her stomach to erupt into a million fluttering butterflies. Her lungs suddenly felt as if they couldn't get enough oxygen.

Swallowing thickly, she cursed herself for stuttering out, "I…oh, just shut up, Malfoy." Because what was she supposed to make of that? She went to move away from him and gasped when she felt the length of his body being pressed up against her back. She started to struggle to get free, but he firmly held her in place.

"You know, lately, I've been picking up on habits from you," Malfoy reached around her and gently pulled the book from her grasp and slid in onto the bookcase. She was about to protest that he had put it in the wrong place, but her throat didn't oblige and instead choked,

"Oh, really?"

She noticed how his hand remained on the bookshelf, stealthily trapping her in as it slowly slid closer to her body. Her mind was screaming at her, and she knew at any moment someone could stumble in on them. There must have been a disconnect between her mind and her body, because she didn't budge.

"Yeah, your body language," her heart did a jack hammer trick in her chest as he moved his body so that it was putting more pressure on hers. "You're an open book."

Hermione sucked in a shaky breath. "Am not."

"Are too," he breathed in her ear. "For instance…you tell me to shut up when you've lost an argument, or been made uncomfortable…or _flustered._ " The word resonated in her ears, causing a new rush of heat to wash over her.

"I'm not flustered!" Both of them knew that it was a lie.

"Ah, I didn't say that you were. I was unsure of what state you must be in currently, but I guess the question of which of those three you are feeling is now answered," he chuckled, the sound a low rasp in his throat.

"I…shut-" she stopped abruptly, and even with her back to him she could practically _see_ the wide smile crossing his features.

"See?" long, lean fingers toyed with a curl tucked behind her ear before they made their way downwards. "But you see, now we have a new question to answer. Why are you flustered?" he leaned forward and nuzzled his nose into her neck, his body heat radiating off his skin and causing Hermione to break into a cold sweat

"Is it because of the idea of getting down with someone…or is it the idea of that someone being _me_?" Draco asked softly.

Regaining strength she didn't know she had, "You flatter yourself," she spat, desperately trying not to inhale his scent; a woodsy pine, expensive cologne and after shave that smelled so delicious she was tempted to turn and lick it off of him. Hermione wiggled some more to break free and to distract herself from that thought, now realizing that she very much needed to get away from him. Oddly enough, Malfoy's breathing picked up and his body went taut. Weird, she knew she wasn't putting up _that_ much of a fight, yet his grip had tightened on her and he was forcing down breaths.

Even so, his body shuddered against hers as he managed to say, "Maybe so…but maybe not." Oh, he _so_ had her figured out at that moment in time. Panic began to seep through her, her pulse racing faster than ever. She needed to get out of there, _now_. Her hands went up in front of her and connected with the smooth wood of the bookshelf.

"Get away from me," Hermione gasped, pushing backwards into him and causing him to moan at the contact. She stiffened immediately and twisted her head to better see her captor, who had fallen silent. There was no mistaking that he was aroused, his semi-hard erection pressed into her intimately, and she was suddenly unsure of what to do. He had a look of confused need marring his features that she didn't know what to make of. He didn't seem to know what to make of it either, from the looks of it, especially now that she knew. Malfoy was clearly as taken aback as she was, yet through the pleasure and confusion radiating off of him, she felt determination. Rouge flooded her cheekbones as her bum rubbed against him and his quickly growing need for her.

In a strangled, much quieter voice, Malfoy said "If I leave, we'll never know the answer to my question." Curiosity and heat met her end of the Link, making her heart speed up.

In a desperate attempt to save face, Hermione told him, "I'd never tell you anyways."

"I don't need you to tell me how flustered I make you. You can _show_ me." _Oh_ , she could feel the red hot _desire_ coursing through his veins and showering over her. It had her knees weakening and her stomach clenching almost painfully.

"What are you getting at?" she asked weakly, though she knew the answer.

Draco pressed his mouth to her ear and said huskily, "Tell me…do you want me to make you flustered? _Hot_ and _bothered_?"

Her mouth was sealed tightly. She was afraid to answer. Mostly because she knew what the answer was, and she didn't want to admit it to herself or the man pressing his body to hers so intimately that she was tingling in places she shouldn't be, especially not with him.

"…Granger?"

"I-"

"Hey, Draco!" Both two spun around to face Blaise Zabini approaching them. If he had noticed their position, he said nothing, something which Hermione was grateful for. Speaking of grateful…Before she could stop herself, Hermione's eyes swept appreciatively over the Slytherin specimen before her. Ah, yes, she was very grateful for this boy's creation. Someone up there definitely loved him.

Merlin, the potion must be clouding her judgement, there was no other explanation why she would be having these… _feelings_ towards any Slytherin.

She immediately snapped out of this mindset. Malfoy had clouded her thoughts with his own desire she could still feel pulsing through his mind and body. She would not begin lusting after Blaise Zabini merely because he was a victim of circumstance.

Hermione saddled away from the blond while simultaneously trying to carefully pick up on his emotions. It was difficult to latch onto any single feeling; lust hit her hard, as well as heavy passion and his own confusion buried deep beneath.

"Am I…interrupting anything?" Blaise asked, his eyes leisurely sliding over Malfoy, whose flushed cheeks turned redder. Hermione bit back a gasp as she took in his appearance. Now that she was facing him, she could see just how affected he was. The usual silver was blown out of his eyes and was instead replaced by a smoky charcoal that oozed sexual appeal and implored Hermione. For what, she didn't know. Platinum blond hair was somewhat mussed on his head, and his lips were slightly parted, the full bottom lip a deeper pink than the upper, like he had been bitten it. His chest rose and fell with every breath as he tried to steady his panting. The Acamara Lotus potion must have been wreaking havoc on him too, for there was no way he would ever respond like this normally, she was sure. Hermione's eyes slid down a little further and was pleased that he had managed to conceal his _situation_ in his robes.

Hermione's eyes flashed up to meet Malfoy's dark ones, only to find him watching her in the most unsettling manner. It was suddenly a bit harder to breathe and her pulse began to pick up speed. Gods, with the Link, the sensations grew stronger. She could feel his pure, unadulterated lust.

"Okayyyy then…I'll take that as a yes," Blaise's gaze flickered between the two of them, feeling rather left out and _very_ uncomfortable. "When you're done having sex with your eyes, find me, Draco."

That snapped the blond out of it. Shaking his head as if that would clear it of his lecherous thoughts, he muttered a quick goodbye to Zabini and sped out of the library, leaving Blaise behind him. Hermione, too, shook her heard and started to gather her things.

"He's irresistible isn't he?"

Hermione started, dropping all of her books. A wide smirk was on Zabini's face.

"Don't worry, Granger, you'll soon find that Draco isn't the only irresistible Slytherin around here," he winked at her- yes, actual _winkage_ \- before sauntering off.

Hermione was left breathless with her heart pounding, Malfoy's lusty gaze burned into her eyelids.

What the bloody _hell_ was that?

* * *

She couldn't face Malfoy. Not in classes or in detention. It was an ungodly thing to ask of her, Hermione thought. Now that the heat of the moment had dissolved, Hermione could feel his embarrassment along with her own.

And then there was Zabini's whole deal. Was he just curious as to what had gotten Malfoy so…excited? Did he want in on it?

 _Great, just what she needed,_ Hermione thought, _two sexually frustrated Slytherins._

But _wow._ She had never been more sexually aware of another human being in her life.

Not familiar with all of these feelings, Hermione had ambushed Ginny before breakfast and pulled her out to the courtyard to vent. How often was it that two of Slytherins most attractive guys- or any guy really- had ever approached her in such a manner?

"You two just ooze sexual tension, it was bound to be released somehow…in fact I think you should expect more from where that came from," Ginny had promptly responded.

But no! It was Malfoy! This couldn't happen again, one time was bad enough to be seared into her memory for the rest of time, and not in a good way.

"Perhaps we should put this in perspective. Allow me to help. You, bushy-haired bookworm cave woman- ah, sorry 'Mione- and Malfoy, sexy, Slytherin hunk of hotness. Said hunk approaches said bush, there is attraction, for reasons unknown sparks fly. Honey, fly with those sparks and go with it. See where it takes you. You'd be mad to ignore it."

And so here Hermione was.

Apparently she was mad as well.

She was taking a shuddering breath to try and ease her astonishment at all and everything about her life. As she approached the Potions classroom door, she could feel the presence of a certain blond haired prat already in the room. Groaning, Hermione collected herself as much as humanly possible before putting on a brave face and marching into the room. Unable to resist, her eyes automatically locked on the back of Slytherin's prince. Hearing her entrance, he spun around, their eyes locking before he smirked at her. Anger began to simmer beneath her skin as she situated herself at a desk with Ron, as far away from Malfoy as humanly possible.

"Good afternoon, class! We are going to continue our experimentation with deadly and dangerous potions, today!" Slughorn said cheerily. Hermione made an indignant sound under her breath. Because what could possibly go wrong? Maybe two enemies would end up the laughing stock of the school, or perhaps someone would get drugged by a lethal love potion? Nah, of course that wouldn't happen!

Ugh.

"First can anybody tell me a little bit about Greek mythology?" Slughorn was asking the class. Hermione blinked, staring at the professor alongside her fellow classmates.

"Sir, I don't think that is so easily summed up in one or two sentences…" Hermione began, and thankfully, the Slytherin Head of House seemed to understand.

"Ah, yes! Specifications! Handy little things, those are. Someone tell us about the mythical creatures, sirens."

Slowly, a dainty, manicured hand was raised into the air. The sound of twenty jaws dropping filled the air as Lavender Brown delicately cleared her throat. "Professor, in Greek Mythology, a siren was a woman or winged creature whose singing lured sailors to their untimely death." After her small 'speech' Lavender beamed, and everyone around her clapped in awe as Slughorn announced her correct.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Seamus said tearfully, wiping snot from his face with Dean's shirt sleeve.

"EW! This is UNSANITARY! You hear? UNSANITARY!" Dean squawked.

"Out of curiosity, Lav, how did you know that?" Parvati queried in a moment of interest.

Lavender twirled a curly blonde lock around her finger. "I take it upon myself to know all of the world's best love stories."

"If that's her idea of a love story then I'd hate to see what a tragedy looks like," Malfoy tugged at his collar. Hermione hated to admit that he had a very valid and slightly terrifying point.

"Anywho," Slughorn clapped, suddenly uneasy of the blonde girl with a slightly crazed look on her face. "The potion we will be brewing today is called _Siren's Song._ The potioneer, Alkem Mayhem, had the original intent of producing a potion that would create a fog to lower inhibitions and ultimately lull humans to their death. As a result, if exposed for too long, you'll die."

"Sounds like a pretty nice, genuine guy." Harry commented, nodding.

"Splendid." Ron agreed.

"Unfortunately, in the experimentation process, Mayhem received too much exposure and perished."

"And now you thought it'd be a great idea to introduce this potion to a group of incompetent, underage students," Blaise Zabini exclaimed with wide eyes. Slughorn's head bobbed up and down happily.

"When brewed correctly, the potion releases a fog that makes a man relaxed and comfortable. The goal is to make him feel safe and concealed. Slowly, it begins to lower inhibitions. A person affected may feel slightly light headed or overly eager to express themselves. If asked a question, they are more likely to answer truthfully and in full.

If not stopped, it shows the man their greatest desires."

"And then comes the death," said Draco dryly.

"Yes, but details, details," Slughorn waved his hand. Apprehension and anxiety poisoned the air of the potions classroom as the students muttered amongst themselves in a skittish manner. A flash of unease brought Hermione's attention to the other side of the room. However, when she glanced Malfoy's way, he sent her another arrogant smirk that had her rolling her eyes in annoyance. The boy was giving her whiplash. First he wanted nothing to do with her, then he attempts to seduce her? Hermione fanned herself in exasperation.

"I hope you've practiced your bubble-head charms, gentlemen." Slughorn called as a side note, and all activity ceased momentarily.

"Why's that?" Dean Thomas perked up.

"It only affects men." That comment had the female population of the room smirking at their nervous male counterparts.

"I'll partner you up," said Slughorn, and he began to list names off at random. Harry ended up with Millicent Bulstrode, and looked more than a little terrified of the fact. The girl had a fist the size of his face. She smiled sympathetically at him from across the room as he whimpered.

"And let's continue our observation of our resident love birds!" Slughorn expressed with large waves of his arms. All sympathy was wiped from her, instead replaced with horror. Everybody cheered, and Seamus shoved Hermione into Malfoy's chest. More cheering ensued before Slughorn called order and everybody was off to their own stations.

Hermione cautiously peaked out of Malfoy's chest, noticing that he was standing very still. She took a deep breath and was met once again with expensive cologne and a woodsy scent, pine.

Oh, gods, help her.

Hermione lunged away from the boy. Pushing her hair out of her eyes, she nervously turned back towards him, still feeling unable to deal with him after their good-morning experience. She just knew that he would use everything against her. Even if Malfoy were the one that should be embarrassed about the situation, he'd find some way to twist it, to make it seem like she had thrown herself at him and he was merely a hormonal seventeen year old boy letting the sparks fly for a good time.

Reluctantly, Hermione opened her eyes and cleared her throat. Up close he didn't seem so confident and cock-sure like he had appeared when he flashed her his infamous smirk just minutes ago. In fact, he was even…awkward? Malfoy's lips were pressed together and his body was taut, eyes squinting just slightly as he gnawed on his lip. It was painfully endearing.

 _Bad Hermione, bad_ , she performed a mental face-palm. She mustn't think of the evil Malfoy in that way. Quickly gathering herself, the witch launched into a spiel before Draco could so much as open his delectable mouth. "Before you say anything…the Link enhanced any feelings we were having. It heightens emotions between us, that's why everything felt so…intense." Hermione whispered in a rush, repeating the mantra she had been telling herself since the morning.

Whatever response he gave was lost on her when Hermione lifted her eyes to face him again.

Was he more… _chiseled_ since this morning?

His face appeared more structured and manly- Hermione could think of no better word for it. He had a sense of masculinity, his jaw more defined and his features not as pointy as she always thought they were. His eyes were darker, almost charcoal instead of their usual silvery blue. And was it possible for blond hair to shine like that in the dim dungeon lighting?

Don't even get her started on her sudden awareness of his broad shoulders and very nice arms.

But this fine specimen was speaking to her, and she was expected to respond. "Yessum…" she muttered in a daze. Seeing Malfoy's face flush bright red had her eyes widening and questioning what she had just agreed to. His sudden rush of contentment further raised her alarm.

She asked tentatively, "Er, hang on, what?"

Malfoy blushed again. This couldn't be good.

His smooth voice came out scratchy. "I said that with your logic, there had to have been some previous attraction between us in the first place," Malfoy shifted his weight. Yes, he was _definitely_ more chiseled this fine morning.

Back to the present.

"But there isn't," Hermione said weakly, and Malfoy responded with a grunt.

"Right. Nothing…"

"Yeah…"

"So no logic."

"Of course…"

"Glad we settled that, then," Malfoy coughed before regaining his wits. "I'll grab the ingredients from the back, you prep the station." Without waiting for her reply, Malfoy was off.

Hermione smacked herself in the face. Why did she have to get out of bed this morning? It was only now that Malfoy was gone that she was realizing what he had meant with 'her logic'. The Link only heightens existing feelings. It doesn't create new ones. That would technically mean that Malfoy had just admitted that he had been attracted to her prior to the potions incident.

… _Nah_. That was a silly thought. _Malfoy_? _Never_. Back to setting up the potions station!

When Draco returned from the supply room, the two worked in silence. Hermione hated to admit it, but they worked miraculously well together. Their efforts were seamless and executed with a precision that would make the text book editors proud. She would cast the odd glance over at him every now and then, trying to figure out what was going through his mind. His brow was furrowed in concentration as he finely chopped the ingredients, bubble charm securely in place. Tresses of platinum blond hair fell over his eyes, and he brushed them away periodically in annoyance. She could still find him…decent looking without actually liking him. Hermione tried to ignore her new physical awareness of him, but the proximity and the heat from the cauldron made it difficult. The air seemed too stuffy, and the fumes from Siren's Song were making her head a bit fuzzy. Was Slughorn sure it only effected males? She shuddered at the thought. That would be a bad mistake, and unfortunately, one that he would be prone to make.

As expected, there were more failed attempts then successful ones. Harry's potion started aggressively singing show tunes, and Neville's began spurting out a thick gaseous substance that Hermione heard Slughorn say was closely akin to Mustard Gas.

As Malfoy added the final ingredient, a thin veil of glittering dust danced through the air. Hermione looked around herself in awe. The Sirens Song created a cloud of sparkling air, not quite clear but not opaque either. Hermione sniffed cautiously, pleasantly surprised when she caught a sweet, delicate scent that she couldn't place. She risked a glance over at Malfoy, whose eyes were shining with contentment even though the rest of his face was blank.

Slughorn congratulated them. "Nicely done! It must be the love that allows you two to work in such harmony, eh?" he elbowed Draco in the rib, causing the other to wince in pain. Rouge tinted her cheekbones and Hermione put all of her focus into cleaning up their work station. Slughorn had to run off to stop some impeding disaster, and so the two were left alone.

Hermione continued to busy herself with cleaning, swallowing unevenly at the awkward silence that had settled around them. That was until…

"I like working with you. We make a good team," Malfoy said easily, a trace of a smile on his lips. Hermione almost dropped her wand into the cauldron.

 _Wha_ -?

She studied him closely, but he had turned back to gather up the unused ingredients. Hermione watched him for signs of distress or other symptoms of the imperious curse. She found nothing. Malfoy was completely at ease, his shoulders and neck relaxed from their usual stiffness. He had developed a sense of calm that he hadn't before.

With that thought, Hermione worriedly cast Malfoy a second look. _Of course_ , she thought with dawning realization. After finishing the potion, Malfoy must have removed the bubble head charm protecting him from the fumes of Sirens Song. Glancing at his lips- and thinking nothing of how pillowy they looked- she found that he had in fact removed the charm.

She didn't get a chance to react right away. Malfoy sent her a dazzling smile, and, not used to being assaulted by such brilliance, she dropped her wand. It clattered to the floor. Hermione almost followed suit. She shifted away from him and again busied herself with reorganizing the now empty potion vials. She let her hair fall in her face, shielding herself from him with her mass of curls. It appeared that Malfoy caught that particular social cue, as he didn't bother her again.

Hermione gathered the leftover ingredients that hadn't been used in Sirens Song and began to bring them to the back room. Gazing around the room, she found that no one had managed to manipulate the potion correctly. Harry, _oh Harry_ , had also relieved the bubble head charm too early and was now draped across a file cabinet in the back of the classroom. _That couldn't be good._ Ron was dazedly staring at the glittering dust in the air, and Neville had fallen asleep with his face pressed into the toad liver. It didn't appear that anyone had been successful, and Hermione felt a swell of pride. Maybe Malfoy was right, they _did_ work well together.

She began sliding the ingredients back into their designated slots on the stock room shelf. Her mind was wandering, her chest full of pride from her accomplishment and the good grade that would come with it, when a sudden awareness of someone standing behind her had Hermione whipping around. She clasped a hand to her heart in surprise at the body practically on top of hers. "Malfoy! What are you doing?" the hairs on the back of her neck were still buzzing uncomfortably.

The boy in question didn't appear ready to respond. "I-er-I was just-" he cleared his throat defiantly. "Hi."

 _Hi_?

Have mercy and kill her now.

 _Please_.

"I just noticed you here and thought I'd, you know, drop in," Draco laughed nervously. He 'casually' leaned up against a shelf, attempting to portray an image of calm. But all Hermione had to do was focus on the warm sensation tickling at the back of her mind. Feeling slightly guilty for invading Malfoy's privacy but her curiosity getting the best of her, Hermione narrowed her focus onto his emotions. Tranquil, at ease, and absolutely _smitten_. In contrast to his emotions, she immediately became nervous.

 _Any second now, mercy._

Would it be too weird to hope for a lightning bolt to descend from the sky and strike her down?

"Can you 'drop out' now, please?" Hermione said weakly. The last time she was alone with the boy, they had ended up in a compromising position, she wasn't eager to repeat that experience. Hermione ducked her head, not wanting the other teen to see her blush. If she were being completely honest with herself, it wasn't necessarily a _bad_ experience, but it was one that could never reoccur. There were laws to the universe, and keeping Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy- muggle-born-book-worm and Pureblood extraordinaire- separate was one of them.

Fingers on her cheekbone made her freeze. Hermione's face snapped up to Malfoy's, and then immediately to the door of the storage room. She could kiss her social life goodbye if anyone walked in on this moment.

"You look nice with your hair pulled back off your face," Malfoy mumbled softly, lightly tucking a loose curl behind her ear. Hermione shivered as his cool fingers lingered on her skin for a moment longer. Despite their coolness, they left a burning trail in their wake. Hermione looked up at him, and he was looking right back at her with something she couldn't place flickering in his stormy grey eyes.

Inside, she began to panic. Sirens Song simply lulled men into a state of ease. It didn't create false emotion. That would mean that Malfoy was expressing feelings he wouldn't normally because he was at ease with Hermione.

She shivered again, though she didn't know if it was from horror or something else.

She couldn't help but feel bad for the blond. This was the second time in a short period that he had been under the influence of an inhibition-lowering love potion.

Hermione pitied herself as well. She had to be present for each of these times.

Merlin, this boy must have had a _lot_ of inhibitions judging by the way her week was going.

"Granger," Malfoy's voice had lowered an octave, alarmingly similar to earlier in the library. His fingers had returned to her cheek again, his thumb lightly grazing her skin. It seemed to tremble under his touch. Hermione swallowed, her throat tightening. She was having trouble sifting between their separate emotions. On one side, there was confusion, and the ever present burning lust. It mingled with an enlivening rush that had both of them breathing harshly.

Malfoy said again, "I need to talk to you about-"

A loud clanging sound drew their attention away from each other and to the door. "Oh!" Neville Longbottom exclaimed, quickly dropping to his knees to scoop up the shattered glass and scattered ingredients. Malfoy flew away from her, his back pressing against the shelf opposite of her.

Both went silent as Neville struggled to pick up his mess. Hermione would have helped him, but Malfoy's eyes were searing into her, and she found her feet rooted to the floor.

A flash of agitation grasped Hermione out of her trance. Her eyes flicked down to Neville, then to Malfoy once more. As expected, he was glaring at her, as if it were _her_ fault he was acting this way. Stuck in a pocket of annoyance, Hermione flicked her wand at Malfoy, restoring the Bubble Head charm. She watched in satisfaction when his eyes widened comically as he realized what had been happening. Glaring at both of the Gryffindors- Neville trembled under his gaze- he swept out of the room in a storm. Hermione scowled at his back when he took care to scatter Neville's carefully crafted piles of ingredients.

Pouting at the floor for a moment, Neville lifted his gaze to Hermione in helplessness. "Is he always so-" he began, and Hermione cut in for him. She was privy to Malfoy's emotions, after all.

"Melodramatic?"

"I-"

"Moody?"

"What I was going to say was-"

"Ferrety?"

" _Sassy_."

Hermione's jaw popped open with an audible, wet sound. She then clamped it closed, to keep from laughing at poor Neville. "I don't know, Neville. But I'll be sure to ask him," Hermione smirked at the blond's back, which was now in the classroom. As if sensing her devious mindset, Malfoy whipped around to face her. He paled when he saw her face.

Shaking any remnants of the weird feelings she was having before with Malfoy, Hermione stalked back out into the classroom…

Only to be confronted by Ron.

"Hermione," he said, staring at her dazedly. She was startled by his sudden appearance in front of her. Studying her friend closely, she found a strange, glittering mist clustering around his head. A failed attempt at Sirens Son, she assumed.

"Yes, Ron?" she said cautiously. The red tinge of his cheeks was making her nervous.

"You're a girl."

"I am, thanks for finally noticing, Ronald," she said snappishly. She spun on her heel, not noticing Harry patting a dismayed red head on the back in sympathy.

"What did I say?" Ron asked in confusion.

* * *

"You reacted strangely to the Siren's Song today," Blaise commented from his reclined position on a couch in the Slytherin common room. Draco frowned as he approached the boy. He had just returned from dinner and had been searching for some peace. Of course he had to run into Blaise of all people.

"My bubble head charm was perfectly fine." Draco replied stiffly.

"Uh huh…." Blaise picked at his teeth with a tooth pick. Who knows where he got that from. "So you're saying that the way you acted towards Granger was just you, no outside influences from magic?" A slow smirk slipped up the boy's cheek, and Draco's eyes narrowed.

"Speaking of, how's our lioness?" It was obvious that Blaise was enjoying this. Draco stifled a groan before dropping down on a chair next to the fireplace. He attempted to ignore the ugly feeling knotting his stomach when Blaise said 'our.'

"I wouldn't know," he muttered, placing a pillow over his face and hoping that Blaise would shut up and go find amusement in torturing someone else.

Blaise asked innocently, "You two don't communicate?" Draco half expected the other boy to bat his eyelashes and throw flowers in a show of innocence.

Draco barely restrained himself from baring his teeth. "No." He cursed his pale complexion for betraying his blush.

"Ah, so what I walked in on today wasn't anything…" Blaise raised an eyebrow and smirked. The blond glared at Blaise.

"No. Nothing. It was just a side effect of that damned potion," Draco ran a hand through his hair. His body temperature was rising just from thinking about the witch of his apparent affections.

"So you feel nothing for her at all," Blaise said slowly. Draco frowned and turned around to fully face his friend.

"Of course not."

The other boy nodded in satisfaction. "Good. So you couldn't be opposed to me pursuing Granger. I'm glad, mate, thanks!" A wide smile spread across the Slytherin's face.

An ice cold feeling washed over Draco and he balled his hands into fists. His breath froze in his chest as the chill hit, and he had to grit his teeth to keep from yelling.

Blaise patted Draco on the back several times before sauntering off, probably to find Granger. _This shouldn't bother me. This shouldn't bother me._ Draco repeated to himself in his head. The chant got harder to maintain, however, as a hot feeling raging inside his chest swelled to the surface. He knew that feeling anywhere.

Jealousy.

Running a hand down his face, Draco sank further back into his chair. Gods, what was he going to do _now_?


	6. Chapter 6

Two updates in two days? The world must be ending. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Let me know what you think! :)

* * *

October 23rd, 1996

It was cold. The still night air was creeping through the cracks in the walls, seeping from the stones and creating a bone chilling draft in the castle. Hermione folded her arms across her chest, internally scolding herself for only wearing her thin uniform. She descended the moving staircase down to the dungeons, wondering what Slughorn had in store for detention tonight.

She entered the Potions classroom to find it lacking a certain Malfoy. She couldn't repress the surge of relief she felt. Anything to do with Malfoy had been _weird_ recently. She couldn't help but feel that Malfoy was refraining from pouncing on her to ravish the living daylights out of her every time they were in a half mile radius of each other. Maybe it was the way his eyes would go from light grey to charcoal whenever he saw her, or the predatory curl of his lips. His emotions would surge in a rather inappropriate direction. Hermione wondered if he realized that she could tell what he was feeling.

Ungracefully plopping down in one of the desks, Hermione crossed her arms and waited. Slughorn must have been in his office, as no one else was in the classroom. She sighed and let her eyes scan the room. Thankfully, Slughorn had the mind to _Evanesco_ the remaining fumes of Sirens Song. Hermione was horrified at what might happen if she and Malfoy were left alone in a room with Sirens Song.

She gritted her teeth. When did she have to start worrying about being left alone with Malfoy? Why was she concerned that something physical might happen between them if they were given the opportunity? Hermione scowled at the wall, as if that would intimidate her fears away. It wasn't normal to think about Malfoy in that way. Then again, it wasn't normal for Malfoy to feel that way around her either.

But did she honestly know that he felt that way about her? No. Hermione was embarrassed to admit it, but she had never experienced lust on that level before. She didn't have much background, and therefore felt as if she were blowing everything out of proportion. For all she knew, Malfoy was lusting after some other girl, and she had mistakingly associated his emotions as a response to her. Seventeen year old male hormones were prone to acting up whenever and wherever. Now that she thought about it, that was the most probable reason. A huge rush of relief swept over her, and Hermione felt lighter than she had in days. She almost laughed giddily, but she stopped herself for fear of looking crazed. She wasn't sure what she'd do if Malfoy decided he had any feelings besides hostility towards her.

Two doors banged open at the same time. Hermione jumped out of her seat in fright. On one side of the room, Malfoy was sauntering in as if he owned the place, and on the other, Slughorn was unsteadily making his way to his desk. The suspicious smell of firewhiskey drifted in his wake.

The Slytherin Head of House grumbled to himself as he sifted through papers on his desk. He knocked several text books off, and a few picture frames followed suit. Hermione and Malfoy exchanged a look. Slughorn uneasily grasped at his chair to steady himself, and only then seemed to remember that he had two students standing in front of him.

Slughorn appeared so startled that he knocked the remaining papers to the floor. He didn't notice. "Oh, it's you two," he said in a depressed voice.

Hermione was flattered, really.

"Sit here and don't _do_ anything," the older wizard ran a hand down his face. "I don't trust you after what you have done in here previously."

Draco snorted, earning a glare from the other occupants of the room.

"Just, please, don't do anything," Slughorn mumbled, then went back into his office to presumably finish up his firewhiskey stash.

Groaning, Hermione dropped back into her seat. She had thought that if Slughorn were here with them, nothing would happen. She could even ask him about Empathy Links, which were a question that kept burning at the forefront of her mind. Instead, she was stuck here with Malfoy, alone, and all she could do was wait for the next hour or so. She shivered and rubbed at her arms. The temperature dropped a few degrees with that thought.

Teeth chattering, Hermione cast a curious glance over to Malfoy. The blond was still standing in the doorway, as if he were afraid to sit down. She raised an eyebrow at the empty chairs around the room. He could sit anywhere. Rolling her eyes, Hermione busied herself with braiding her hair, teeth chattering lightly. After dinner, her hair had decided it wanted to increase in volume by about eighty percent, and was currently untamable.

"What is your problem?!"

Hermione's teeth stopped chattering for a moment as her mouth dropped open in shock. She turned her focus to the Malfoy heir, who had whipped around to face her.

"W-what?" she stuttered, partly because of the cold and partly in surprise. Her teeth clamped together audibly, and Malfoy cringed. She stared at him. "I'm cold," she said defensively. "I can't help it!"

Growling, Malfoy sat down a few chairs from her and stared at the wall as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Rubbing her face in annoyance, Hermione and Malfoy settled back into silence. It was noticeably more tense, Hermione noted, now that they had acknowledged each others presence. _Goodbye peace_ , she thought sarcastically.

After twenty minutes or so of tense silence, she felt something hit her in the side of the face and slide down. Angered, Hermione whipped towards Malfoy to yell at him for being immature when she looked down at the object he had thrown her- or rather, thrown _at_ her. Slowly, she picked it up, staring at it in awe. It was his jumper. Hermione turned back to him once more.

"Wha-?" she began, but Malfoy was staring resolutely at the wall. He seemed to be inspecting it in great detail. "Malfoy?" Hermione asked once more, clutching the sweater closer, relishing in the warmth it was providing her freezing fingers.

"To stop that irritating teeth chattering," said Malfoy shortly, his own teeth grinding together. He continued to stubbornly stare straight forward, avoiding all eye contact with Hermione, whose insides warmed with a tingling feeling at the action.

"T-thank you," Hermione's eyes widened in surprise. Though his justification was less than kind, Hermione could feel a subtle tug of gentleness mingling with embarrassment at his actions through the link. He meant well, Hermione realized, no matter what he said to convince her otherwise.

"Don't mention it," Draco's eyes flitted over to Hermione briefly. Then his face changed to one of trepidation. "No, really, don't. Not a word. To anyone." A sense of urgency overtook his tone and Hermione laughed out loud.

"Don't want anyone to know that the big bad Draco Malfoy has gone soft?" she teased, smiling to herself as she slid into the warmth of the jacket. She inhaled deeply, catching his scent clinging to the fabric. Her face warmed as the tingling feeling returned.

"I haven't gone soft," he scoffed, shifting to face her now. A smirk tugged at Hermione's lips.

"Yes, you have," she practically sang, and Draco's brow furrowed into a frown.

"I have not!"

"Have too,"

"Have not!"

"Have too!"

"Why do you always have to be right?" Draco threw his hands up in the air, about to admit defeat. Hermione glared at him.

"I do not!"

He looked at her pointedly. She growled. Draco took this as acknowledgement of his victory and smiled widely. Hermione had to blink a few times to get past the rather attractive sight being inflicted upon her. Hastily trying to come up with something to fill the silence and her weird staring, she cleared her throat,

"Won't you get cold?"

"Men don't get cold," Draco replied stonily.

"Sureeee," Hermione drawled, sitting down in the chair beside him. Draco rolled his eyes.

"The fabric was scratchy, it was irritating my skin," Malfoy shot back at her. It was Hermione's turn to scoff. "And…it's for a good cause," he glanced at her before going back to his extra curricular of wall-gazing.

Struggling to grasp onto that, Hermione hurriedly said, "You said you wanted to talk to me about something…what was it?" She peered at the blond curiously, and could both see and feel it as he went rigid.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Were they going to play this game? Hermione sighed to herself. She should have expected that at least. Malfoy wasn't going to fess up to being under the influence of Sirens Song. "You told me earlier that-"

He cut her off abruptly. "You heard wrong."

"…What?" Surely he wasn't going to pretend that he hadn't said anything to her. She understood him denying other events, but this? What could he have wanted to say that was putting him in such a panicked state now?

The Slytherin let out a harsh laugh. "Are you really that thick? I don't like repeating myself, Granger," he growled, and Hermione's eyes widened. What was with his sudden mood switch? It was one of the eternal secrets of Draco Malfoy. But maybe…

Casting the blond a glare, Hermione turned back to face the wall, concentrating. Breathing out deeply, Hermione cleared her mind, opening it up like she had been practicing. She was keeping it secret from Malfoy, but she had been practicing separating their emotions. It was a difficult feat, and one that required almost all of her energy and concentration. Most of the time, it didn't even work. But it seemed that this time, Hermione had been successful. Slowly but surely, Malfoy's emotions began to dance around her, fluttering behind her eyelids like she could _see_ them. There were flickers of greens and reds, for calm and the irritation that seemed to be ever present in the blond. Sky blue was for contentment, darker shades of it for sorrow. Yellow glinted shyly at her peripherals, a color that Hermione had yet to place. The feeling was incredibly familiar, but at the same time, so foreign. It was internally frustrating, and Hermione had to squeeze her eyes shut and clench her teeth so that she didn't lose her connection with Malfoy's emotions.

Then, a cold, bone chilling feeling crept up on her. It started tingling at the back of her neck, a dark, forlorn presence. In her minds eye, Hermione spun around, but her vision was obscured by black ink, thick and suffocating. It was as if a dementor was hiding in the darkness, sucking her soul out of her and making her feel hollow.

She broke the connection with a gasp, her eyes snapping open and hands flailing out in front to her blindly. Malfoy was in front of her in an instant. His hands gripped her own, though Hermione wasn't sure whether it was to comfort or to prevent her from hitting him by accident.

"Are you okay?" his voice was oddly high pitched, and the violet color of concern and worry flashed in her minds eye.

Hermione managed to get oxygen in her lungs, taking in a shuttering breath. Her hands were still firmly clasped in Malfoy's. His face swam in front of hers like smudged water colors until her eyes came into focus. She almost lost her breath again when she noticed how close his face was to hers.

"Can you hear me? I thought we already went over how I don't like to repeat myself, Granger," he said jokingly, but the effect was lost on her, as she could sense his worry.

She shivered again as the memory of the darkness dissipated. She found she couldn't look Malfoy in the eye. What was that terrifying feeling? She didn't know if she was scared, angry, or worried.

"I'm fine. I just…" Hermione trailed off. She couldn't tell him that she had been exploring his emotions. That was a great invasion of privacy, one which he had explicitly asked her to not take part in. Hermione chewed on her lip. "I choked on my spit."

 _Really, Granger? Get with it!_ She scolded herself as she felt her face heat up. Choked on _spit_? Could she get _any_ more unglamorous?

No. No, she couldn't.

Malfoy didn't seem to think so, either. It was funny to watch his face contort from a worried expression, to a disturbed, amused look, then to a blank slate.

"I see," Malfoy said dully, releasing her hands abruptly. They seemed to instantly go numb from being exposed to the chilled air of the dungeon. His eyes flickered down to her- _his_ \- jumper, which she was still huddled in. "For future reference, though, you might want to say you were possessed by a demon, or briefly went into cardiac arrest. Choked on spit? Who _does_ that?"

The smirking, smug Malfoy was back. Hermione sighed. It wasn't welcomed, but it was preferable to the glassy eyed, concerned and caring Malfoy. She knew she could handle this, at least. And at the moment, she preferred anything over a new face of Malfoy. It would just mean that she would have a long rest of the night.

As predicted, it was.

* * *

Malfoy hadn't let her live down the 'spit choking' incident. He had also expressed his creative side and listed a multitude of other things Hermione could be choking on, all of which ranged from being grossly sexual to downright perverted.

She sighed as she returned to the Gryffindor Common room. They had agreed to meet up again in the morning to try and do more research on Empathy Links, but she had a feeling that they would come up empty handed once more. They had already combed through the majority of the books in the library that had even a distant connection with Empathy Links, and they had found nothing. Unless she could convince a teacher to allow her into the Restricted Section, they were at a dead end.

The common room was empty and silent, save for the crackling of the fire place. Secretly, Hermione was glad. She was so tired, she didn't feel like talking with Harry or Ron. The thought made her feel guilty, but she was exhausted.

All but collapsing onto her bed, Hermione quickly shut the red draped curtains. she pushed the book sitting on her pillow- _Hogwarts: A History, Second Edition_ \- away, not intending to read tonight. After changing, she relaxed under the sheets and let out a contented sigh.

Her solitude was rudely ripped away from her by a sudden rush of heat engulfing her body.

Hermione's breath caught up in her throat and she let out a squeak. Her back arched and heat pooled below her abdomen. She gasped, fingers clenching the bed sheets at her sides. Pressure built up in her womb and suddenly, she felt the unbearable need for release.

Lust and desire hit her hard. A sex drive she forgot she possessed was flaring up and entrapping her. Unable to help herself, Hermione's hand slowly traveled down her abdomen to try and relieve some of the pressure. She released a strangled moan as her fingers moved. Grateful that she had closed the curtains, Hermione pushed her face into her pillow to muffle the noises she was making.

She gasped again as another wave of pure pleasure overcame her. It was as if someone had lit a fire within her. She succumbed to it hesitantly, writhing around her bed, confused but in ecstasy. The pressure fluctuated and, biting her other hand to silence her moan, she was left panting in relief on her back.

As her heartbeat slowed, Hermione was left staring at her bed canopy. What was _that_? She blushed to herself. She had never been the kind of girl to explore her body in such a way, why was she suddenly having these feelings?

That was when she realized. Blushing madly now in embarrassment, Hermione once again closed her eyes and focused on Malfoy's end of the link. As expected- and dreaded- she noted the soft pink of blissful contentment and the aftermath of passion.

Oh, gods.

It had never occurred to Hermione that she would be able to feel Malfoy pleasuring himself through the link. She felt stupid now, knowing that she should have realized the second the library incident had occurred. Their desire had mingled together and increased the experience ten fold.

But aside from her self reprimanding, Hermione was embarrassed and…curious. She wasn't naïve, she knew what most teenage boys spent their alone time doing. Yet it had never been something she thought about, for good reason. Now, though, being privy to Malfoy's most private moments was both embarrassing and oddly exhilarating.

Someone kill her now. She didn't know if she'd make it till morning.

* * *

October 24th, 1996

The book spines seemed to smirk at her. Since when did the library shelves appear smug? It was as if they were enjoying her discomfort, revelling in it and flaunting their superior knowledge.

She remembered being pressed up against those shelves just yesterday. It seemed that the books did too.

If air could be awkward, it was thick with it. Malfoy was lounging across from her, his fingers tapping an annoying pattern across the table top. Hermione had been watching him carefully since he entered the library. From the moment he sat down, however, he had no strange vibes emanating from him, and Hermione had to assume that he had no idea about the little episode that had taken place last night. A great part of her was relieved, but another terrified that he would do it again and again, forcing her along for the ride.

After several more minutes, Hermione was bursting with anxiety. Just watching the blond sitting across from her and knowing private details that had never crossed her mind before was enough to make her squirm. She could no longer contain herself. In a rush, she hissed, "Try to keep the sexcapades to a minimum, will you? It's more than a little uncomfortable to feel every single thing you do."

Draco looked up, startled. She could feel his confusion as he mulled over her words. He opened his mouth to retort, but his jaw snapped shut as realization dawned in his mercurial colored eyes.

Malfoy's face burned as he stuttered, "Wh-what? You mean you can…" he faltered and let Hermione fill in the rest of his sentence by nodding. "Oh," his mouth formed a small 'o' before he ducked his head in embarrassment again. "I didn't know-"

At least she knew now that he hadn't been doing it on purpose. It may have sounded insane in theory, but Malfoy _would_ do anything just to embarrass her. The idea didn't seem all that far fetched in reality. "Yeah, me neither. It was a rude awakening," Hermione growled.

Draco cocked his head to the side in a way that instantly had her panicking. "Are you sure about that?"

 _Oh no._ Inwardly, Hermione praised the Empathy Link for being one sided. "Yes, I am sure," she said fiercely, gritting her teeth. He couldn't know, it would be impossible! Unless Malfoy was insanely good at reading other people, then there was no way he could know.

"Are you sure you didn't…enjoy yourself?"

"If you are insinuating what I think you are insinuating…" Hermione trailed off with a threat lingering in her tone. A crocodile smile spread on Draco's face.

"I'm just saying, why stop if it's a great experience for the both of us?"

"Because it's- it's-!" she scrambled to find words, but for once found herself at a loss.

Malfoy shook his head again and ran his hand through his hair in exasperation. "Are you asking me to stop wanking?" he asked incredulously.

When he put it that way…

"Yes!" Hermione practically shouted, but clamped a hand over her mouth as she instantly reddened. "I mean, no! But- yes!"

"Your indecision is adorable," Malfoy said in a colorless tone.

"Well _this_ is a weird conversation to stumble upon without context."

For the second time, both teens whipped around to face Blaise Zabini sauntering towards them.

"Zabini!" she shrieked. "This isn't what it sounds like!"

"Yes it is," Malfoy smirked, pushing himself up from his chair with ease. Hermione's face burned red as Blaise's eyebrow twitched upward.

"Forgive me if I have interpreted incorrectly, but from what I have gathered, you want Draco to stop wanking alone so that you can aid in the process?"

"You've interpreted incorrectly, unsurprisingly," Hermione growled at the smug faced Slytherins. She firmly ignored the twinge of desire she felt from Malfoy as he obviously explored the thought of aided masturbation.

"Care to shed some light on the situation then?" Blaise asked sweetly, _innocently_. Hermione wanted to throw a book at his head. It was a miracle that she refrained.

"Demonstrations are always helpful," Malfoy smiled slyly. This time, Hermione did throw a book at him. It hit its target squarely in the stomach, and Malfoy let out a whoosh of air and a surprised yelp at the contact.

"Be thankful that wasn't the latest edition of _Hogwarts: A History_. That's about five hundred pages thicker," she said with narrowed eyes. Malfoy sent her a pained glare whilst Zabini backed up against the bookcase to put some distance in between him and Hermione. She had an arsenal of books at her command, and a great throwing arm from the looks of it.

"When you two are done flirting through violence, be warned about a new newspaper article that was released in this morning's edition of the _Hogwarts Rattler_ ," Blaise told them.

All thoughts of hitting Blaise to show him what violence looked like vanished from her mind as his words processed.

"Another article?!" she practically wailed. Both boys nervously noted the twitch in Hermione's fingers as she reached for another book. "Have you read it yet?" she demanded of the darker boy, but he shook his head.

"All I saw was the bold headline. Everyone that is in the Great Hall for breakfast is talking about it. I just wanted to warn you," Blaise put his hands up in a defensive position. This way, Hermione would be able to see that he was just the messenger, and also, he could protect himself in case of books flying his way.

Hermione groaned loudly. "Who keeps on doing this?" she said in anguish. "It's bad enough that people assume Malfoy and I are in love, and with someone like _him_ of all people, but I don't want them being encouraged to think that we're actually _together_ ," the disgust was evident in her tone. Draco, who had been absently rubbing his stomach to ease the pain of her latest assault, quickly looked away from her so that she couldn't see the hurt evident on his features.

"May I escort you to breakfast?" Blaise offered his hand to her. She flushed brilliantly, and it only worsened when he flashed her a heart stopping smile.

"Sure, l-let me just put away some books," Hermione gathered up the mountain of texts they had been scanning. One dropped to the floor with a thud. Both boys lurched forward to grab it for her, but Hermione had already knelt down to get it. She shot them both a weary look before glancing down at the tome in her hands. It had fallen open when it hit the ground, and she nursed the injured spine. Her eyes found a particular sentence that she had already read when she had first started researching the Acamara Lotus potion.

" _After being exposed to Acamara Lotus, it isn't uncommon for a couple determined by the potion to experience heightened emotions when around each other. They have a intensified sense of happiness, sadness, irritation, anger, and especially lust."_

She refrained from snorting aloud. 'Heightened emotions'was an understatement. Never in this century would she look at Malfoy the way she had been the past few days. The potion had a subtle, domineering power to it. It had the ability to awaken Empathy Links between people, which took both of their emotions on a roller coaster ride. With both of their emotions combined together increasing all feeling, Hermione thought she was going to go insane.

Hermione switched her glance to Malfoy, wondering how he could remain so calm with both of their emotions raging inside of him. But upon reaching that thought, the book almost slipped out of her hands. Technically, she realized, Malfoy wouldn't be experiencing any heightened feelings, as it was only Hermione who was victim to the one sided Link. That would mean- Hermione gulped and she felt sweat threaten to break out on her forehead- that Malfoy's actions and emotions were not influenced by any outside force.

Hermione resolutely kept from glancing at Malfoy upon this newfound information. Everything- his flirting, his arousal yesterday, and more- had been blamed on the Link increasing any sensations. Yet in reality, that was not the case at all.

"I'm offering to walk you to breakfast, not feed you to acromantula," Blaise stared at her, his hand still outstretched. The look on her face must have been one of horror, and Hermione quickly schooled her expression.

She cleared her throat, unable to keep her eyes from shifting other to Malfoy. She could feel his sudden concern. So he had noticed her reaction, Hermione thought. Silvery eyes were drilling holes into the back of her head as Hermione hesitantly placed her hand in Blaise's.

The darker haired boys face broke out in a grin as he teased, "Thanks for reconsidering, milady. Now, shall we?"

* * *

"Herms! Come here, quick!" Ginny screeched the second Hermione entered the Great Hall. The girl in question winced, as did Blaise, who gave her a swanky smile and squeezed her hand before departing.

Wiping the dazed expression from her face and maybe a small amount of drool, Hermione turned back to Ginevra. "Ginny, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that? It sounds like a-"

"STD?" Malfoy offered helpfully from beside her. He was promptly smacked upside the head.

"I was going to say- oh, never you mind. Don't you have some puppies to torture?" Hermione glared at the blond before stalking off to the Gryffindor table. His laughter echoed behind her.

As if enough people weren't staring at her already, Hermione attracted more eyes as she hurriedly sat down beside Ginny. The red head shoved the Hogwarts Rattler in her face, which Hermione gratefully took as cover from the stares.

"Look at the newest article, front page," the younger girl gushed. Hermione face palmed as she saw the bold headline.

 **Dramione On Fire!**

 **The latest on Hogwarts' newest and hottest couple**

It was an accident really, but one that I don't regret. I was walking through the empty corridors a couple of days ago and I stumbled upon Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger in the middle of a lovers spat. I got front row seats! It went a little something like this:

 _"How could you?_

 _"We are not done talking. I demand answers!"_

 _"What are you waiting for, then?"_

 _"I thought we had a truce! An agreement to not 'explore' this entire…thing! It was our secret." At this point, Granger was gesturing wildly between herself and Sex God Draco Malfoy._

 _Malfoy then insinuated that Granger was the one to blow their cover by going to the Hogwarts Rattler. "How else would the whole school know about all of this if you didn't tell them?"_

 _The lovers spat continued- "How dare you accuse me of-"_

I was then forced to evacuate my hiding spot when members of Draco Malfoy's Fan Club bombarded me. Alas, the information I got was juicy, correct?

So we know that Malfoy and Granger have been involved in secret affair for an indefinite amount of time previous to the Acamara Lotus Incident. But just how close were they (what bases did Malfoy get to with the infamous bush-bush, Hermione Granger?) and how will this news outbreak effect their relationship?

You can bet that the latest and the greatest will be here, reported by yours truly, the moment it hits the rumor mill.

You can't run. You can't hide. You can't defeat me! I am gossip itself!

Tchao! _The Editor._

Hermione recognized the argument between her and Malfoy instantly. It had taken place a number of days ago, when they first discovered the Empathy Link. She released a sigh of relief- it didn't appear that the damned Editor had heard anything about the Link. She couldn't imagine what would happen if the mysterious writer had.

Her eyes lifted and met a pair of silver ones from across the hall. She opened her mouth, but closed it again when she felt that he was just as confused as she was. It was alarming that someone was listening in to their conversations without their knowledge. They would have to be more careful.

Ginny said something in her ear, but Hermione didn't catch what it was. She looked at her questioningly, and the girl repeated herself again.

"So I'm assuming you'll be taking Malfoy to the Masquerade ball?"

"What?" Hermione and Harry blanched at the same time. Hermione started a little when she found Harry had slipped in beside her without her noticing. A moping Ron had followed.

"For Halloween, Hermione. Honestly, don't you two read?" Ginny pushed the offending newspaper towards them once more. Hermione pinched it between two fingers and cautiously flipped it open. On the second page, under the questionable title of 'Role Play (and I don't mean the kinky stuff!)', the article revealed that Hogwarts would be hosting a Masquerade ball for fourth years and up this Halloween. Hermione face palmed upon seeing the comments made about glitter, scares, "disguise and deception", and wooing your love interest behind a mask. Unsurprisingly, the adjective full article was written by none other than the notorious ' _Editor'_.

Hermione wanted to rip the paper in two. "Why would you think I would take Malfoy?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah!" Ron piped up from down the table. She cast him an odd glance before turning back to his sister.

"It was just a thought, everybody is thinking it too," Ginny defended herself unconcernedly. She wiggled her eyebrows at Hermione suggestively, who in turn cautioned a glance at the blond once more.

"I'm not thinking it," Ron told her quickly, and from Harry's green complexion, she assumed he wasn't either.

"But don't worry, Herms, even though the newspaper claims that you two are love birds, you don't have to go with him. Don't let anyone tell you that you have to go with him. People will believe anything these days, all because of that garbage they call news," Ginny muttered the last part darkly, but she brightened instantly and flashed a blinding smile. "He'd stick out like a sore thumb anyways with that hair. No loss for you!"

Speaking of the Human Rock come Sore Thumb, Hermione desperately needed to talk to him. They needed to figure out who the Editor was before any sensitive topics- such as the Empathy Link or their litany of not quite sexcapades- fell into the wrong hands, or rather, ears. Even if Malfoy had no more of an idea of who the Editor was than she did, she wanted to speak with him.

She stood intending to tackle the blond out of the Great Hall if she had to, but a hand rested on her shoulder from behind. She whipped around to face Blaise Zabini, dazzling all females within a fifty foot radius with his brilliance. "Can I walk you to class?"

The food on Ron's fork never made it to his mouth- it fell in a heap on his lap. Harry's jaw hit the table and Ginny squealed in delight. Fay Dunbar cooed and several other Gryffindors stared at the Slytherin propositioning their House princess.

Speechless and blushing, Hermione allowed Blaise to slip his arm through hers and pull her out of the Great Hall. She was so astounded by the Italian's return that she didn't notice the dejected feeling raging on the other side of the Link.

"You've heard about the ball, I see?" he smiled at her as they exited the Great Hall.

"And then some," she rolled her eyes. Hermione almost groaned as she garnered more whispers. Knowing her luck, this would be turned into a story of Hermione playing two of Slytherin's top bachelors.

The Italian sent a teasing grin in her direction. "You will be going as a lioness, I presume?"

She elbowed him in the side, catching herself at last moment when she remembered her classmates claims that she flirted with violence. _Not that she was flirting_ , Hermione thought to herself. _It was just Blaise_. _Hot, suave, smooth, sexy, Blaise._ She mentally kicked herself for her train of thought. "It's a masquerade, not a costume party. We'll be wearing masks." The idea, she had to admit, was appealing. No one knowing who you are, free from judgement so you can enjoy yourself. It was something Hermione needed at the moment, especially with all the questioning stares and whispers she was receiving because of the Malfoy heir.

"Shame, I think I'd have liked to go as a vampire," Blaise mused as they walked through the throngs of students. "I hear they're quite seductive and always get the ladies," Hermione's cheeks warmed as he eyed her pointedly.

"I don't think you need any help with that," Hermione muttered, and Blaise leaned towards her in a moment of deafness.

"What was that?"

She tightened her grip on his arm and propelled him faster along the hallway. "Nothing. Let's get to class, shall we?"

* * *

 _Divination_ , Draco thought darkly, _what a load of bullocks_. He blinked several times to appear awake as Trelawney drifted by the small table he was sharing with Millicent Bulstrode and Gregory Goyle. He propped himself up on his elbow as he stared down into his tea leaves. According to his textbook, Draco's tea leaf arrangement suggested a lifetime of isolation and depression.

 _Peachy, just peachy_ , Draco ran a hand down his face.

"Beautifully done, Mr. Zabini!" Trelawney cooed from the other side of the room where Blaise had just predicted his own fiery death. He smiled at her under the praise and gave a mock bow to the audience of Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. Draco's eye twitched when several girls, and even some boys, clapped enthusiastically.

Draco turned back to his tea leaves and glared at them moodily. _Stupid Blaise_. Aggressively, he stabbed at the tea leaves with the end of his quill, puncturing them harshly until they were pierced onto his writing utensil. ' _Oh I'd just love to walk you to class Ms. Granger, milady please do oblige, submit to my charms, I beg of you,'_ Draco could practically hear Blaise purr inside his he tapped the quill against the table to disconnect it from the leaves, before getting the bright idea to start ripping at the tablecloth. _Stupid Granger for falling for Blaise's charms._

 _Stupid me for feeling like this,_ Draco paused in his tablecloth destruction to consider his last thought. Feeling what? Malfoy's weren't supposed to have emotions. He was expected to be a cold, detached, unfeeling being. And up until this year, he had been doing a fine job at it. That was before Granger turned his world upside with the Empathy Link. Now she could feel him whenever and wherever, privy to his most private of emotions and leaving him feeling vulnerable and small. She could feel his emotions but still didn't give a damn about them, Draco bit the inside of his cheek. What a way for his self-esteem to take a hit. At that, her previous words resonated in his head. Briefly he wondered if that's what she had meant when she said 'someone like him'- a heartless, insignificant little boy who would do anything to stave off his hunger for affection. A deep ache formed in his chest at the thought.

 _Stupid Granger_ for making small butterflies erupt in his stomach.

 _Stupid Blaise_ for being so perfect _._

 _Stupid_ him for being so pathetic _._

 _STUPID-_

Riiiippppp _!_

The tablecloth loudly tore in two and Draco threw the pieces to the ground. Millicent and Greg moaned as their teacups fell to the ground, not noticing the seething Malfoy heir across them. A nearby Hufflepuff did, however, and he promptly fell to the ground in a terrified faint. All talking dwindled into silence as every eye fell on the blond with mottled red cheeks.

"Is there something wrong, dear?" Trelawney's bug eyes bulged in Draco's direction as she slowly began to advance on him.

Clearing his throat, Draco nodded his head quickly. "Just a weird vision, nothing noteworthy," he heard himself say, and immediately kicked himself as Trelawney practically danced the rest of the distance to his table. Excitedly, she pushed Goyle from his chair, and he landed forcefully and nearly went through the old floors of the attic. The wood shrieked in protest under the sudden weight and several students gripped onto the nearest window sill or wall ornament in case of the floor giving way.

"Can you recall this vision?" the batty professor pressed her face uncomfortably close to Draco's. She gripped his hand in hers in a deathlike grasp. "Ah yes, I can see the aftermath of the effects of it. There is magic in the air here, indeed."

"That wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that we're at a school for magic, now would it," Draco stated dryly, roughly pulling his hand from her grasp. As expected, Trelawney ignored him, or she didn't hear him, as she continued in an almost delirious state. After much prying, Draco satisfied her with a faux vision of human bones lying scattered around an old tree. Trelawney waltzed off, probably to go back to admiring Blaise. Forgetting to be jealous of the Italian, Draco breathed a sigh of relief.

Millicent cautiously pulled one of the halves of tablecloth from Draco's clutch and examined it. She admired the dark blue fabric for a moment before wrapping the tablecloth around her neck and shoulders in a makeshift shawl. Letting out a gasp of delight, her eyes lit up. Draco stared at the other half forlornly, wondering if anyone would notice if he strangled himself with it on the spot.

* * *

Despite the stigma attached to the class, Hermione did enjoy History of Magic. She truly did care about the events of Wizarding history, and usually listened avidly, but today, she found herself joining the rest of the class in daydreaming about some place far from Binns's classroom.

"Divorce in the Wizarding world is exceedingly rare," Professor Binns droned from the front of the class. "This is partially because of the magical bond created during marriage, and also due to the measures required to break off the marriage."

The air in the classroom was thick and muggy, prompting the students that were not already asleep to fall into it. Hermione was attempting osmosis with her history textbook. It wasn't helping her that Malfoy's end of the link was a mix of drowsiness and calm that was lulling her into a dreamlike state.

Upon the professor's next words, she perked up slightly in familiarity. She tried to casually wipe a puddle of drool from her cheek as she listened with a renewed interest. "It is a connection of souls, much stronger than the contract between muggles. It is why the bonds last longer."

Teacher and student alike were shocked when a hand was slowly raised into the air. The professor was stunned that someone was paying close enough attention to ask a question, an unprecedented occurrence in his class.

"How would one go about breaking the marriage bond?" Hermione queried, her mind already seeking the similarities to a marriage bond and an Empathy Link. Perhaps, she thought excitedly, the resemblance between the two would translate into a way to break off the Link.

Slightly flustered at the prospect of being asked a question and the potential interest in something he was lecturing, Binns responded, "A couple would have to consummate a marriage to break it off."

Goosebumps raced across her flesh and warmth spread through her, her stomach flipping with the oddest of emotions. "Doesn't that seem..I don't know, counter productive?" Hermione said, cheeks burning as her mind flooded with images of her and Malfoy and a considerable amount of bare skin.

The teacher nodded, face glowing as brightly as a ghosts could as several students awakened as sex came into discussion. "That's the idea of it. The wizard population is low enough as is, so the law tries to keep couples together any way they can. If a failing marriage is rekindled with a bit of break up sex, why not?" he shrugged nonchalantly, as if he was a daily participant in sexual activity. "If the couple still wants to split afterwards, they can."

Hermione tried to close her gaping jaw. "That's…"

"A precautionary measure," Binns concluded flatly.

"Consider me charmed," she said dryly.

The rest of the class passed by without interruption and Hermione was left to stew in her own thoughts. She pointedly avoided thinking about physical relations with the blond, for every time she did, her heart would speed up and her stomach would jerk, twirling with a thousand butterflies fluttering wildly within it.

It wasn't long however before her mind was pulled from one Slytherin to another. Blaise had immediately claimed her as his partner in Advanced Charms. McGonagall had them practicing healing charms. Having been friends with Harry and Ron for all these years, Hermione was already confident in her healing abilities. She may have flaunted her skills in front of the handsome Slytherin, but only so that he knew how to properly perform the spells, Hermione assured herself.

During lunch, Hermione was immediately pulled aside into the corridor by Fay Dunbar. Animalistic tendencies were now out of question, because something much more important had come up. Why was Blaise Zabini walking her to classes? Were they dating? Are they going to the ball together? Is he good in bed? Because he certainly looks like he is. He just oozes sex and-

"Fay!" Hermione practically shrieked at the energetic girl before her. Fay sheepishly smiled and shut her mouth, miming a zipper over her lips and throwing away the key. Hermione released a sigh of relief. "As for Blaise…" involuntarily a smile lifted her lips. "He's nice."

" _Nice_?" Fay's mouth popped open in disbelief.

"He's a gentleman."

"So is Dumbledore."

"He's also nice to look at."

"You have to have a better vocabulary than that," Fay encouraged.

"He's attractive."

"Just that?"

Hermione frowned. "Hot?"

"Getting better."

"Undeniably sexy?"

"Is that a question?"

"It's in the history books."

"Atta girl!" Fay thumped Hermione on the back at her 'achievement'. Suddenly the other witch frowned. "But what about Malfoy?"

Hermione was startled. "What about him?"

"I thought you two were buddy buddy?" Fay raised an eyebrow, which she proceeded to wiggle suggestively. Hermione shuddered.

"I would never be a buddy with Malfoy for _anything_ , Fay, especially anything you're suggesting." Fay was a picture of disappointment but she accepted Hermione's blasé answer. Hermione on the other hand was becoming dubious of Fay's questions, which sounded suspiciously characteristic of the 'Editor'. Perhaps the school newspaper was making her skittish, but she didn't want to risk spilling anything that would go towards another news story.

"I'm heading to the library," the curly haired brunette stated abruptly. Fay was hardly surprised by the sudden declaration.

"Why? You're constantly in there," Fay's nose crinkled in confusion.

"It's therapeutic," Hermione waved her hand and slowly began to shrink away to the staircase.

The other girl shrugged mildly. "So is sex."

"As enlivening as that option sounds right now," Hermione said dryly. She determinedly did not think about the intimate act, and her mind most definitely did not jump to a certain blond. Cheekbones flaring wildly, Hermione ducked her head and hid behind a curtain of curls.

Fay didn't seem to notice the recent development. Instead she was rambling, "Do you think you could convince Malfoy and Zabini to have a threesome?"

Hermione's mouth dropped and she quickly glanced around them to make sure the halls were empty. She didn't want any unwanted ears to hear this conversation! "Fay!"

The girl in question plucked lint from her shirt. "Yes?"

How could she act so casually about such a thing? "I am not participating in any such thing!" Hermione exclaimed, flustered.

"I wasn't implying that you would be the third participant, Herms, but I completely understand that you'd want to be. Tension with the both of them and all, gotta alleviate it somehow, right?"

"That's great, but-" Hermione's voice dropped off as she caught a flash of blond coming down the side corridor. "Fay…" she tried to warn the girl. Malfoy's large stride would carry him within earshot in a matter of seconds. Hermione's flush darkened as she thought of what Malfoy was about to hear.

Fay obliviously rambled onward. "Who do you think would be the best to approach about it? Malfoy seems like the more forward of the two but Blaise carries this mystery that seems like it would compliment my offer…Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. Do you think either would say yes?"

"I don't know, why don't you ask him?" Hermione smirked and cocked her head to the side. Fay's eyes turned into saucers and she squeaked as she peered around Hermione to stare at a stunned Draco Malfoy.

"Er…" Fay whimpered as the blond Slytherin smirked at her.

"Was there something you needed to ask me?"

"No!" the girl was an unhealthy shade of red, and despite herself Hermione chuckled at her friend's expense. "Oh, look at the time, I've got to get to lunch!" Fay gestured to her watch-less wrist and made to maneuver around the other two teens.

"I was just on my way to the library. Do you want to accompany me?" Malfoy shifted his weight so that his body blocked the girl from escape. Hermione laughed to herself- he was enjoying himself way too much. She found her smile widening at Malfoy's mirth and the lighthearted feelings fluttering inside her in response to the Link. His relaxed and merry state wasn't something she saw often, and it was making the both of them content.

Fay mumbled, "I'm quite alright."

Malfoy tilted his head to the side innocently. "But why not? I hear it's therapeutic. Besides, it'd just be the three of us," Malfoy winked, and Fay melted in embarrassment as Hermione nearly collapsed with laughter. She caught Malfoy's eye and smiled widely, and Draco's heart fluttered inside his chest- in a masculine way, of course. He hesitantly smiled back at her.

At the sight of his dazzling smile, a rock formed in Hermione's stomach as she recalled her realization from this morning- Malfoy wasn't being affected by the Link. Right now, she couldn't tell if the butterflies in her stomach were a result of the Link or her emotions alone. Her grin must have faltered because the blond's face contorted into a confused scowl and he quickly shifted his mercurial eyes away from her.

The interaction didn't escape Fay. "Maybe you two should head to the library…alone," she said, having recovered from her embarrassment. "Nice seeing you, Malfoy, Hermione." As Fay passed by Draco she patted his arm, mouthing to Hermione behind his back in glee at the muscle she felt. Hermione hid her eye roll just in time.

After the exuberant Gryffindor had disappeared into the Great Hall, the two lapsed into silence. Draco cleared his throat and gestured with his hand, "After you."

Unlike Hermione had expected, the walk to the library wasn't resemblant of a medieval torture method. They settled into a surprisingly comfortable silence. In curiosity, Hermione tried to extend the Link a few times to see what the Malfoy heir was feeling, but all she could gather were feelings of calm and a strange, satisfied buzz she couldn't identify.

Hermione couldn't help but wonder when the blond sat down at the same table as her, though the rest of the library was vacant. The smell of parchment lingered and clung to the old wooden chairs and tables. The late afternoon light filtered in through the tall windows, illuminating the vast room in a soft glow. Risking a glance at Malfoy, she noticed that his hair was golden in the sunlight and that the shades of grey in his eyes seemed to dance and flicker at her.

"Your friend is interesting," Draco commented idly, breaking the silence.

Hermione looked like she had tasted something sour. "She is."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Calm down, Granger, I'm not going to take her up on her offer to fuck her."

"Malfoy! Don't use such language in the library!" Hermione scolded, partially at the crudeness of the word and also to cover her blatant jealousy, which Malfoy had apparently noticed.

"Or what? I'll corrupt the books with my tongue?"

That gave Hermione a rather vivid image of what other things he could corrupt with his tongue.

 _Focus, Granger._

Her cheeks displayed a lovely shade of pink. "No, there is no need to use such foul language here!"

Inwardly, he grinned. He loved seeing her get all riled up about the silliest of things. "What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll…I'll hex you!"

"Really now?" he didn't bother to hide his amusement.

"Yes!" she stuck her nose up in the air and tried not to instinctively back away when he leaned forward over her chair. He was so close to her that she could smell the lingering scent of his shampoo, his cool spearmint breath fanning across her face, and another smell that was purely _Malfoy_ \- in a very good way.

"What will you do to me?" Draco murmured, pressing her chair backwards, their noses practically touching.

"You don't want to know," Hermione fought to keep her voice even and her eyes firmly locked on his grey ones, instead of the _very_ sculpted chest that was tantalizingly close to her hands.

"Hmmm, but hexing is so violent. You know, there are other ways to shut me up," his voice was husky as his fingers reached up to play with a curl that had become untucked from behind her ear. She didn't need the Link to know the beginnings of his arousal.

Hermione inhaled deeply to try and get some control over her racing heart. "Like what?" she whispered, her eyes ensnared in his heated, ash grey gaze. How his eyes could be so mesmerizing, she didn't know. There were so many colors, so much depth…

The butterflies in her stomach were wreaking havoc when his eyes flashed and dropped down to her lips. Her mind was screaming at her; why wasn't she stopping him? This was Malfoy, this wasn't supposed to happen!

It's odd how something so forbidden can be so right, though. And nothing felt more right when he buried a hand in her hair and brought his face impossibly close to hers, so close that she could practically _taste_ him and-

"HERMIONE! WHERE AREEEEE YOU?!"

The witch in question gasped as the booming voice of Harry Potter reverberated around the library. Draco lurched backwards, his eyes just as wide as her own. Ignoring the empty feeling in her stomach and the chill that had swept over her as soon as their proximity changed, Hermione mouthed at him to go quickly. Throwing her that irritatingly sexy smirk and a teasing wink, Draco basically sashayed out of the library, bumping shoulders with a confused Harry as he went.

"Why was he muttering about my painful demise? I haven't even seen him today," he questioned as he sat down beside Hermione, who scratched her nose and replied that she had no idea. Quite frankly, at that given moment, she could almost agree with Malfoy- she wasn't a fan of being interrupted while studying, and that trait carried over into over extracurricular activities, too. _Great, now I'm considering Malfoy an extracurricular_ , Hermione face palmed, _Lavender would be so proud_.

"-and hey, why are you so pink? Do you have a fever?" the Boy-Who-Lived was carrying on, not noticing Hermione's inner monologue. She batted his hand away irritably when he reached out to place it on her forehead.

"I'm fine," she winced when her voice came out ten octaves higher than normal.

The boy hero was oblivious to her body language, and for once Hermione could not be more grateful.

He plopped down into the chair Malfoy had previously been in, and Hermione's chest tightened as she thought of what would have happened if Harry hadn't interrupted them. Wistfully- and against her will- her mind conjured up images of Draco's pillowy lips, how they would caress hers and how her hands would snake into his soft hair. Her insides tingled excitedly as she wondered how the Link would have enhanced the experience of kissing Malfoy. Their feelings would mingle together, fireworks exploding in every nerve ending as their bodies raced with electrical pulses.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright? You're burning up," Harry's voice brought her back to harsh reality. Hermione felt her cheeks flush brighter. Her body felt feverish, her skin covered in goosebumps and it took several calming breaths before she could say,

"Of course, Harry. Is there something you needed?"

Harry leaned back in his chair with a frown. "Since when do I need an excuse to talk to one of my best friends?"

Hermione winced. It had been a while since she had paid any attention to either of her friends. She had been wrapped up with her Slytherin drama and hadn't noticed she was drifting away from her fellow Gryffindors. "I'm sorry, Harry, I have had a lot on my mind recently," she smiled sadly into the warm green eyes. They brightened instantly.

"I have just the way to solve that. You should come down to the Quidditch pitch tonight, the House teams are having unofficial scrimmages before the season starts later next week. It'll be fun!"

"Harry, you know I don't blend with Quidditch well," Hermione groaned, already thinking of sitting on the cold stands, staring into the sky to watch something she didn't even understand.

"You can bring a book," the raven haired boy offered, and Hermione grinned.

"I might be tempted to go."

Harry hit her on the back enthusiastically. "I'l see you there!" he sprung up from his seat to race out of the library and away from the thought of schoolwork, but he paused in his escape route to look back at Hermione. "And, Hermione, Ron really wants to see you there," he gave her a half apologetic grin before sprinting out of the library.

Ron wanted her to go? Hermione thought to herself. Why would that be a swaying factor in her decision to attend? She shook her head and gathered her things, knowing she wasn't going to get much studying done now with so many males invading her thoughts. Ron had been acting particularly strange lately, she wondered as she slid her text books into her bag. Then came his startling revelation that she was a female, she snorted to herself in irritation. The boy was only six years late. Perhaps she would find out the reason for his behavior later tonight. Only time would tell.


	7. Chapter 7

October 24th

"Hey, D," Blaise slid up beside Draco in the Slytherin common room. Knowing his temper was especially quick to ignite today, Draco roughly turned his body so that he wasn't physically facing the other boy.

"What do you want," he said gruffly, a muscle in his cheek twitching. Blaise was the last person he wanted to see right now. If his thoughts about Granger weren't confusing enough, he didn't need the flirty Italian to further infuriate him.

"What's that?" Blaise peered at the parchment in front of Draco in curiosity. Draco resisted the urge to growl and bat the boy away like an annoying fly.

He responded shortly, "Application."

"It's blank."

"I know it is."

"Why haven't you filled it out?"

"Don't you have things to do?" Draco snapped back at him. Shrugging, Blaise said,

"No, Granger is going to be in detention any minute now and everyone else around here is _boring_."

Red flashed before Draco's eyes and he tried to calm his harsh breathing.

"You're assuming she would want to see you," Draco snarled before he could bite his tongue.

Amusement was evident in Blaise's face and tone. "As opposed to who, _you_?"

Draco chewed on the inside of his cheek, angry and hurt at the truth of the statement. "I'm going to be late for detention," he made to move around Blaise, but the boy stepped in front of him and raised his hand to stop him.

"You avoided my original question," Blaise cocked his head to the side. "Why haven't you filled out the application for the Healer-training program?"

Draco tried once more to push past him. "Look, I don't want to talk about this right now-"

"Or ever," Blaise interjected.

"-and I'm going to be late, so if you would-"

"You're scared."

Stopping dead in his tracks, Draco whipped around to face the other boy. "Excuse me?"

Instead of the smug look Draco had expected to see on his face, Blaise was wearing an expression of wonder. "You're not scared of anything. What has you so spooked now?"

 _What is he talking about?_ Draco thought to himself before relaying the same message to Blaise.

"Come on, Draco. You've been fascinated with Healing since as long as I can remember. Why are you hesitating to apply? The only thing that would stop you is if you were afraid of something. What is it?"

Draco's face fell and he felt his posture deflate. Alarmed, Blaise's eyes widened, but he didn't make any move or say another word, worried that Draco would rebuild his slowly crumbling shield and run away.

"I don't want the opportunity." He finally spoke at last. Blaise shook his head in confusion.

"What do you mean?"

"If I apply and I don't make it in, it's just one more washed away dream. But if I make it in…" Draco's voice broke off and he turned his rapidly heating face away.

Blaise's face softened. "Then what?" his voice was uncharacteristically gentle.

"If I make it in, I'll know that I could have had something that I'll never actually be able to have," said Draco flatly. "I don't want the chance of being able to follow my dream for once, only to have it taken away from me when my parents find out and order me to take control of the family company instead."

"Oh," Blaise pinched the bridge of his nose. He hadn't been expecting this at all. Of course he knew that the Malfoy family had strict plans for their son's future, but he hadn't realized that Draco so solidly based his decisions off of the ridiculous guidelines the parents set for their child.

Draco dropped his books in his bag, shoving the empty piece of parchment inside roughly. "I've got to get to detention. See you tonight," he took off for the common room entrance, not caring about the stares he received as he rushed out and closed the portrait with a resounding bang.

* * *

He struck an intimidating figure when he walked. Hermione wondered if he was aware of it. His shoulders swung and his long legs swept quickly beneath him in long smooth strides, resembling a predator stalking its prey.

If Hermione was being honest with herself, she'd admit that she was jealous of his graceful movements. No matter how many times she tried to glide in the way Malfoy did, her feet ended up knotted beneath her. She had become well acquainted with the ground at this point. She realized now that it'd be best to quit trying elegance and settle for her own walk. It was productive, efficient, and got her where she needed to go. So what if she didn't look as if she was floating on air? Or if her strides weren't powerful and domineering?

"Granger, why are you staring at me?"

The girl in question blinked rapidly until her eyes came into focus on Draco. He was watching her peculiarly, and Hermione flushed when she became aware that she had been staring at the boy for an uncomfortable amount of time. Goodness, she hoped that Slughorn would arrive to supervise their detention soon. Then she was quite bewildered with her line of thought. She prayed that the old professor would forget to come at all, if only to be merciful to her state of mental health.

"I wasn't," Hermione mumbled more to herself than to Malfoy. He quirked an eyebrow at her and her flush deepened.

"What's wrong with your face, Princess?"

Oh no.

She muttered faintly under her breath. "Hot."

"I am, aren't I?"

Prat.

"I meant the temperature."

"Sorry, I didn't realize." Sorry? Arse. Already she could tell it was going to be a long detention. Luckily, it seemed Slughorn was mysteriously absent again, so she would be spared some sanity by the end of the night. _Just in time to attend the make-shift Quidditch matches,_ Hermione thought to herself with a groan.

Draco dropped into the seat beside her, kicking out his chair with an irritating scrape and placing his feet on the table. His head lolled as he leaned back, the perfect picture of relaxation. A tiny smirk tugged at his lips, and Hermione knew that he was trying to goad her on purpose. She gritted her teeth in annoyance. He always knew what to do, because it evidently was working.

After a few moments of brief silence, Hermione finally lost the battle with her tongue and bit out, "Don't do that."

Malfoy cracked an eye open, the ash grey iris sparkling at her in amusement. "Why not?"

"It's not proper etiquette."

"Neither is snogging in a library."

He wasn't sure how he managed to quip back at her with such confidence with his heart hammering viciously. The pesky thing continued to perform jack hammer tricks in his chest as he waited for the girl's response.

Hermione sniffed and felt her face harden miraculously. For once, it appeared that she had control over her outer emotions. "Books are to be respected," she said tersely, amazed that Malfoy couldn't tell her stomach was doing flip-flops inside of her.

"Right, and the only person you'd be snogging is Zabini," Draco could barely contain the ire in his tone. If the brunette noticed the jealous passion burning on the other side of the Link, she didn't show it.

Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Just an observation. I noticed you've been hanging out with Blaise recently," Draco said casually, trying to maintain his calm composure. The more he thought about his Slytherin friend, the tenser he felt.

"I suppose I have, yeah," Hermione mused to herself, her eyes fogging curiously as they followed her train of thoughts. A cold hand wrapped around Draco's stomach and tightened its grip.

"So, is he your…type?" _What was he saying?! This was not part of the plan, Draco! Get a grip!_

Hermione stared at him in amusement. "My type?" she repeated, not bothering to hide the laughter in her voice.

"Yeah, the kind of guy you go for," Draco mumbled quietly, already kicking himself for asking such a question. The girl's face was twitching in an effort not to laugh outright. Another pang of embarrassment hit him.

"I suppose he is," she said thoughtfully. From the look on her face, Draco could tell that she had been transported to some fantasy, probably of one of her and Blaise ravishing each other.

The sudden rush of emotion surprised them both. The two were startled by the searing sensation now racing over their skin. It felt like liquid fire was spreading through their veins, leaving a tingling trail in its wake that over sensitized nerve endings and left them tingling anxiously.

Granger recovered first. "What's the matter?" Hermione teased, turning a blind eye to the telling reactions through the Link. "Upset that _you_ aren't my type?"

Draco felt his guards go up and his body tightened accordingly. "Of course not," he scoffed in a lifeless voice, hoping that with her ignorance she wouldn't catch the inkling of worry through the Link.

Evidence that she hadn't noticed appeared as Hermione leaned forward and cocked an eyebrow pensively. "Because you know," she carried on, all the while her mouth contorted in a mocking smirk. "Blaise is literally everything you are not," Draco gritted his teeth. "Tall, dark, handsome, the whole jazz," her eyes were alight with amusement. "So I guess that means you can't be 'my type', Malfoy."

That hurt. He flushed red in embarrassment. "Whatever, Granger," he muttered. He would never admit it, but his appearance had always been a major contributor to his self-esteem issues. He hated his pointy features, too pale skin, feminine eyes and hands, and obnoxiously white blond hair. Whenever someone poked fun at his looks, his deep rooted insecurity became center stage. It wasn't something he was proud of, but it wasn't something he could help, either. And now, with Granger of all people ridiculing him and comparing him to Blaise, his gorgeous, charming, suave friend, Draco felt…insignificant.

At Draco's desensitized expression, Hermione began to feel guilty. He hadn't deserved that small verbal beating, no matter how inconsequential it seemed on the surface. The blond turned from her stiffly, feet dropping from the table with a loud _thunk_ , hands and jaw clenching. Pressing her lips together in thought, Hermione wondered about his reaction. Surely he wasn't jealous? The feelings waging war at her from the Link were hard to identify, despite the uncomfortable familiarity of them. Focusing solely on Malfoy, Hermione once again tried to extend the Link out towards the boy. Almost reluctantly, a dark blue haze surrounded her vision, and Hermione's heart battered her ribcage in regret as she recognized sadness. Lime green played are the corners of her view, and upon further examination, Hermione had to draw back sharply at harsh jealousy. A million thoughts began to crash into each other in her head, each collision increasing her confusion as she began to put together the pieces of a puzzle whose end picture she didn't know.

"You're alright too, you know," the words seemed to surge out of her mouth before she could stop them. The blond head snapped over to her in confusion at the statement, eyes burning holes into her skull. She could practically feel the heat of the gaze dancing over her skin. Hermione squirmed in discomfort as the frozen chill that had previously swept the dungeons was now replaced by a warmer, friendlier feeling. "You're quite handsome when you're not being a prick," she muttered cautiously, face flaming with color. Smoky eyes widened and turned into glassy mirrors as Malfoy's cheekbones blushed with pleasure.

His mouth parted a centimeter then closed again, his tongue flicking out to wet his lips in a new show of bashfulness. Eyes shielded by white gold fringe, Draco mumbled quietly, "Thanks." Hermione had not expected him to take the compliment humbly, or for him to revert into a shy teenage boy with such little prompting. A slow smile grew on her face as the blond shifted in a new mood of discomfort. He crossed his arms across himself tightly, and if Hermione hadn't been watching him so closely she would have missed his slight wince upon completing the action.

"What's wrong?" she asked in concern. He began to shake his head to tell her to disregard it, but the steely resolve must have been evident on her face because he paused mid-breath. Sighing, Draco rubbed his neck and admitted,

"You took a good whack at me this morning with that book of yours."

Hermione's eyes widened and she gasped. "I didn't realize…I-" she faltered in shame and hung her head. "I'm sorry," she muttered. "May I see?"

Draco shook his head vigorously. "It's barely noticeable, really, nothing to look at," he put his hands up in front of him and scooted backwards as Hermione moved towards him. With his back pressed up against the chair and no where to hide, he seemed to deflate in resignation.

"Nonsense," Hermione adopted a bossy tone. "It's my fault, and I want to fix it. Besides, we practiced healing charms today in class. Consider yourself my extra credit," she ended cheekily as Malfoy scowled.

Sliding closer to him until she could feel his body heat radiating off his skin, she slowly removed her wand as the boy eyed her wearily. Ignoring his weak sound of protest, she gently lifted up his long sleeved shirt to expose his abdomen. She gasped softly when she saw the dark blue bruising contrasting sharply with the pale skin.

"I hurt you," she said softly, eyes wide with wonder as she continued to stare.

Malfoy shifted, grunting quietly, "S'fine. I've had worse."

She lightly put her fingers to the discolored skin, her eyes flashing up to his face when she heard a sharp intake of breath. Whether it was from pain, she didn't know, but if the strangled air in his throat was anything to go by, Hermione was willing to bet that his bruise was far from his mind.

Brandishing her wand, Hermione repeated the incantation she had been practicing earlier in Charms. The touch of magic prickled softly and caused the smooth skin beneath her fingers to quiver almost unnoticeably. Draco made a faint sound but otherwise did not comment. Steadily the blemished skin began to fade under her ministrations, revealing the creamy white skin underneath.

With the bruising was cleared, Hermione was left staring at Malfoy's defined torso. She gnawed on her lip as her eyes swept over the tight muscle of his abdomen. On their own accord, her eyes lowered to below his naval, latching onto the light trail of hair framed by the 'v' of his hips and following it down to his trousers. _Holy hell,_ Hermione whimpered in her mind, to think she had called him unattractive just minutes ago. Her fingers itched to explore the dips and edges of his body, to smooth over the contours, the clash between hard muscle and silky skin. Hermione's hand twitched and her thumb made a small circle over his navel. A halted sigh escaped the blond's lips, pulling Hermione from her dreamy haze. She nearly recoiled in shock. Once she realized what she was doing, Hermione immediately snapped her gaze away from him and up to Draco's face, sure she would find him laughing or sneering at her. Instead he was watching her with wide gleaming eyes, the dark lashes nearly brushing his brow bone. Strangely, he was blushing. Heat rushed over her, her own sensations connecting with Malfoy's through the Link, intertwining into a hot coil that wrapped around her.

Hermione swallowed thickly but didn't move away. She was frozen, her trembling fingers just resting on his skin as his eyes seemed to beg her not to leave. _Oh, gods,_ Hermione's throat constricted. She needed to find out how to seal off both ends of the Link, fast, or there was no telling what her newly raging hormones would lead her to do.

 _"What is happening here? Again?!"_

Slughorn was slouched against the door frame, traumatized by the provocative scene before him. Hermione sprang backwards from Draco for the second time that day, dropping his lifted shirt like it had burned her. As if snapping out of an intense daze, Hermione scrambled to find words.

"Professor Slughorn, sir! We were just, er-"

"Determining the thread count of my shirt," Draco winced as the lie left his lips. Hermione's eyes nearly bugged out of her head in bewilderment. _Really? Of all things to say, he came up with that? And he calls himself a Slytherin!_ "It's one-hundred and fifty," Malfoy finished weakly.

Slughorn stared at his two star students as if they had each sprouted another head. Hermione had to rub her neck inconspicuously to check and make sure herself, for his stare didn't let up.

"Merlin, just go," Slughorn waved his hand tiredly at the two teens, who were more than happy to oblige. Hermione rushed out of the dungeon, heart speeding up as she put distance between her and the blond. _What on earth…?_

* * *

The night air was clear and fresh, each breath cooling her lungs as she breathed in the smell of grass from the pitch. Students from the four houses- mostly from fourth year and up- were clumped in groups around the stands, ready to cheer on their respective teams. The October evening was tinged with excitement, the Quidditch players faces already a healthy pink from the slight chill. From her spot snuggled between Ginny and Fay, Hermione could see the Gryffindor team strutting out onto the field, their red uniforms flowing proudly behind them. Though she didn't care much for Quidditch, Hermione couldn't help but be infected by the contagious electricity in the air surrounding the pitch. The students were thrilled for the unofficial games about to take place. Even Draco- who Hermione was definitely _not_ staring at - couldn't keep the exhilarated grim off his face.

Fay had thought ahead to bring a blanket to shield off the cold air. Grateful, Hermione gathered the warm blanket closer around her as the first players took off. It was Hufflepuff against Ravenclaw. She squinted to recognize the players floating above her. She spotted Cho Chang, who surprisingly was not crying, and Terry Boot, who had taken on the charming habit of picking his nose. Zacharias Smith, whose eyes were curiously trained on her, was hovering close to her stand. When she noticed him watching her, the Hufflepuff gave her a smirk before buzzing off to the other side of the pitch. She frowned in thought, her mind absently noting that Malfoy's smirk was much more attractive than Zacharias's attempt.

Hermione started. Did she really just think that? Oh, yes, yes she did. Best to distract herself with more Quidditch now.

As the game carried on, Fay and Ginny aimlessly chatted about the upcoming Masquerade Ball. Apparently the 'Editor's' article had cast a frenzy of excitement over the student body. Hermione had to grit her teeth as the other two Gryffindor girls commended the Editor's work and style. The constant presence of the privacy-intrusive writer was beginning to wear on Hermione's nerves. She was constantly looking over her shoulder, but she still didn't know what she was checking for. Discovering the identity of the Editor was becoming a top priority.

Annoyed, Hermione turned her attention back to the pitch where Gryffindor and Slytherin were taking to the skies. An involuntary smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she watched Draco scrutinize the pitch with narrowed eyes. Hermione couldn't help but stare. While Harry and the rest of the players were great flyers, Draco gracefully moved through the air with a quiet power. He looked sleek and strong, and not because his hair was slicked with gel to aerodynamic proportions. Actually, Hermione noticed, he hadn't been using gel on his hair all year. He allowed it to fall freely, the blond strands seeming to absorb the sunlight during the day and give off an ethereal glow. It wasn't fair, she pouted to herself. Why should he get to have perfect hair without trying, while she was stuck with _this_?

Off topic. Back to admiring Malfoy.

His stormy eyes were intently raking the air. He was so focused on his search for the snitch that he didn't notice the look exchanged by two players on the other team. Hermione's breath froze in her chest. She knew what was coming and there was nothing she could do to stop it. Her fingers clutched the bench and turned deathly white as a particularly nasty and purposeful hit from the passing Gryffindor Beaters knocked Draco off his broom.

The crowd gasped and several people cried out in shock as Malfoy fell over the edge. Hermione's heart hammered painfully and her stomach leapt into her throat in fear. Her body shook in panic and she squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to witness the boy splintering into pieces across the grass. But another gasp from stands had her reluctantly finding Malfoy once more. This time, Hermione joined in exclamations of surprise. In a show of impressive arm strength, Draco had managed to catch his broom and pull himself back up over it. The girls cooed and catcalled as they watched the muscles ripple in his arms and back. Hermione still felt faint when she saw his form dangling so high up in the air.

A victorious shout from the center of the pitch wasn't heard.

Miraculously, the blond gained control of the broom and found stability once more. Cheers mostly from the Slytherin side of the stands sounded, though several admiring coos were heard from plenty of females from all houses.

Hermione let out the breath that had been trapped in her lungs. Had she been concerned? Yes, but everyone was worried. It didn't mean anything.

"I caught the snitch!" Harry cried out once more. His spotlight had been taken when Malfoy had chosen to fall off his broom. The raven haired boy pouted slightly, but his face brightened as the pitch livened with cheers. All attention turned towards him and his fist, which he held up in the air. The slow fluttering wings of the golden snitch peeked out around the sides of his fingers. "GRYFFINDOR WINS!"

The Gryffinor team began their victory lap around the pitch. Ron threw Hermione a large smile as he flew past, and she offered a half hearted one in return. It wasn't that she was unhappy for them, but seeing the crestfallen face of Draco tugged at something in her chest. Her body was left with a small ache, which she automatically assumed was from Draco's end of the Link.

Fay continued to express remorse over how unforgivable it would have been if a beautiful creature such as Malfoy had fallen to his death. Hermione tuned out her rant as she caught Malfoy's eye. He gave her a grimace, obviously displeased with the result of the game. His features were marred with a frown as he searched the pitch for the two Beaters. Ginny chose the moment to comment on the unfairness of the Gryffindor team. Hermione had to admit, she was appalled at the actions taken during a "for-fun" game. She supposed it was because of the pent up tension towards that particular blond Slytherin that made them act out when no authority figure was there to stop them. It was concerning, to say the least.

As the night sky darkened to an inky black that even the brightest lumos struggled to illuminate, the students began their trek up to the castle. Hermione walked down the stands with the rest of the Gryffindors, but lingered when she saw a flash of platinum blond disappear in the direction of the Quidditch storage area. A sudden need to see him intrigued her. It was a pull inside her chest, as if she were attached to a hook at the end of a fishing rod, urging her to go to him. Absently, Hermione rubbed at her chest, where a weird feeling was making her heart beat just a little faster.

"Are you coming, Hermione?" Ginny questioned, already a significant distance ahead of her. Hermione nodded quickly.

"I'll be right up. I, er, just want to tell Harry and Ron good job."

The dark cast shadows over her face, which Hermione was sure was the only reason she got away with the lie. Ginny gave her a wave and told her not to stay long before heading off with Fay, Seamus and Dean.

Watching their retreating backs with relief, Hermione carefully slid towards the storage room. It was off to the side of the pitch, right next to the team locker rooms. Luckily, most if not all players had retired for the night and were walking back up to the castle with their friends. Checking to make sure no one was still around, Hermione pushed open the storage room door.

The room flooded with light. Hermione took a few steps inside, staring at the number of haphazard shelves around her. Spare broomsticks, quaffles, and several small locked boxes for snitches were in a disarray around the room. She spun around when the door clicked lightly behind her. She clamped her lips shut to keep from gasping at how close to her Malfoy was. His lips were tilted in a wondering frown as he stared at her.

"What are you doing here?" she mentally face-palmed when she heard herself ask the question. _Really, Hermione? He's supposed to be here! You, on the other hand, are not!_

"I could ask the same to you," Draco raised an eyebrow at her, but continued nonetheless. "Losers get to put all the equipment away. And sort out the storage closet." Hermione looked around the room once more, but found only the shelves and accompanying mess for company.

"So you're doing it alone? It was your entire team that lost, not just you," Hermione pointed out, to which Draco shrugged. He pushed off the wall and moved around her to reach a shelf on the other side of the room.

"What'd you think of the games?" he asked a different question, turning his body to face her. Hermione's breath caught in her throat. The October wind had swept his blond hair away from his face and left it to fall in a perfect mess around his face. He had exchanged his Quidditch uniform for a form fitting black tee. It clung to him in all the right places and enhanced all of the features the girls had been talking about after his near fall from his broom.

Damn. Him.

Unwilling to show how flustered he made her, Hermione smirked at him. "It was largely unimpressive. Are you excited for defeat in your next game?"

Draco shook his head vehemently. "No way, this year is my year."

"You said that last year, too," Hermione practically sang in amusement.

The boy pouted. "Last year I was overconfident."

"And you aren't now?"

The blond stuck his tongue out at her. Hermione laughed at the childish display. A pleasant thrill that she recognized as not being her own travelled through her. It sent a million questions flying through her head, none of which she could ask Malfoy, though.

After a moment of silence, Hermione gathered the scraps of her Gryffindor courage. "I'm glad you're okay," she said uncomfortably. Her weight switched feet as she swayed back and fourth in unease. Malfoy turned from where he had been arranging quaffles to face her. "I guess Slytherins aren't the only ones that play dirty," she finished, referring to the two Beaters who had taken him off his broomstick.

Grey eyes twinkled. "You play dirty?"

Her face flooded with color. Of course that would be the only thing he heard!

"Must you always be such a prat?" Hermione groaned in frustration, to which Draco only laughed. It was a melodious sound, and with a start, Hermione realized she had barely heard Malfoy actually laugh in joy in her entire time at Hogwarts.

"It's part of my charm," he smirked at her. He grunted as he shoved a heavy trunk onto a shelf aligned with his upper torso. "Hand me that bag, will you?"

Hermione grabbed the red velvet bag he had gestured to and hauled it towards him with difficulty. Whatever was inside of it, it was deceivingly heavy. She almost dropped it on Malfoy, who gripped it in one hand and delicately placed it beside the trunk with ease. Hermione raised an eyebrow as she scrutinized the blond's arms. So perhaps they were a bit more muscular than she had previously realized…

"Like what you see?" Hermione pulled her gaze from Malfoy's masculine form. He was smirking devilishly at her, leaning against the shelf and crossing his arms to give her a full showcase of his physique.

Hermione pretended to tsk. "I don't know, you're a bit chubby," she stated, schooling her features to keep from laughing out loud when Draco gaped at her.

"Am not!" he protested. Hermione playfully poked him in the stomach.

"You're squishy," she lied. Her finger had met what she had expected- a firm, muscular body that oozed masculinity and strength.

"No I'm not! I'm like a rock! I'm godly!" he exclaimed, face falling. Hermione almost laughed when he called himself a rock, remembering how she had dubbed him 'The Human Rock' not too long ago.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," she smiled sweetly. The whole show was only to keep herself from blushing.

Eyes narrowed, Draco growled, "For your sake, I hope you're joking."

"For _my_ sake? What are you going to do, squish me with your love handles?"

The next moment Hermione was squealing as Draco grabbed her around the waist and swung her around, wrestling her to the floor. She landed on her back on the ground, noticing that Draco had cared to make sure there was little impact. Still, the breath was whooshed out of her as Draco settled on top of her, body pressed against hers from head to toe. Hermione could feel his abs through his shirt, his body heat burning her skin.

"Take it back," Draco said in a low, dangerous voice. But the effect was ruined by his bright eyes and wide smile. He straddled her lap and held her squirming form as she attempted to wiggle free.

The brunette tipped her head back and laughed. Draco couldn't help but stare at the milky column of her throat. "I must not tell lies, Mr. Malfoy," Hermione said solemnly, face morphing into one of seriousness. Inside, her heart beat a mile a minute and butterflies raced inside her stomach, fluttering as wildly as her heart.

"But I'm not pudgy," Draco whined. In his moment of distraction, Hermione rolled out from underneath him and shoved his shoulders to the ground. This time she had gained the upper hand and she found her face looming close to the shining grey eyes.

Hermione wiggled her eyebrows in response to Draco's scowl. Their chests pushed against each other as they rose and fell in time with their rapid breaths. They were in an odd embrace, Hermione's hands and forearms resting on his chest and shoulders while Draco's arms had looped around her waist, holding her to him securely. Strangely, she felt safe in the arms of Draco Malfoy. Hermione didn't want to think of what that meant.

Draco finally pouted in defeat. "Fine, I'll work on it, just for you."

Hermione's smile was dazzling. "Careful, Draco, one might start to think you actually like me if you start doing things for me."

Playfully Draco winked at her. His smile broadened and transformed his face completely from the Ice Prince Hogwarts knew and loved to hate, into a happy boy with angelic features.

"What do I need to work out, hmm?" asked Draco while he raised a perfect eyebrow. Hermione tapped her chin in thought for a moment.

"I'm not sure," she took the opportunity to trail a finger over his arm and down his chest. Each muscle flexed unconsciously under her touch. Draco felt as if his skin were on fire, her fingertips leaving a burning wake that wreaked destruction on his heart as it thrashed wildly inside his ribcage. "Maybe more here," she feigned a disappointed look as she patted his abdomen, shivering as she felt the hardened core.

"Do you wanna check?" it was Malfoy's turn to wiggle his eyebrows. Hermione rolled her eyes and batted him over the head lightly, skewing the now messy blond hair in front of his eyes so that she could hide her blush.

"I'd like my eyesight to last, thank you."

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he teased.

The two lapsed into silence. The storage closet filled with the sound of their breaths, which suddenly were too loud in the quiet space. Hermione realized how close she was to Draco when she found herself studying his eyes- the naturally dark lashes, the flecks of blue inside the swirl of misty greys.

Draco's arms tightened around her unconsciously. "We should get back to the castle," Hermione said quietly.

"Mhmm," Draco murmured, pressing his face closer to hers and inhaling deeply. Shivers came up Hermione's spine and her skin burst into goose flesh.

"People are going to start to wonder where we are," she tried again, eyes drooping when Draco nuzzled her neck. Her mind and being were awake with the most amazing of feelings. Her and Draco's emotions harmonized as one, sending thrills through her body. Each nerve ending was alive and her heart threatened to break out of the confines of her chest as excitement, passion, tenderness and affection bubbled inside of her.

Draco made another sound that was akin to a purr, then brought his fingers to her hair. They played with her curls and massaged the nape of her neck, applying light pressure to pull her face down to his.

"May I…?" his voice broke off and he stared deep into her eyes, begging for permission to press his lips to hers. Hermione was at a loss for words. Her mouth couldn't formulate a coherent sound, instead her tongue nervously flicked out to wet her lips. Draco's eyes followed the movement, darkening from the silvery grey to a dark gunmetal.

Pressed so close to him, she could feel his heart raging beneath her. His breaths were coming faster in response, fanning cool mint across her face. She could feel his nervousness rolling off of him in waves. It was tinged with a fiery vigor that made her breath want to freeze in her lungs. Hermione inhaled shakily. Pine tickled her nose and Draco hesitantly lifted his face to hers, pausing uncertainly just centimeters from her. His shyness was oddly charming.

A row of quaffles dropped to the ground from the shelves, the slap of rubber on the ground so loud in the quiet room that Hermione started backwards in fright. She scanned the room in paranoia before returning her gaze to the boy beneath her. His eyes flickered, noticing the change in her demeanor.

"Wait-" he began, his arms tightening around her instinctively. It was as if he was afraid to lose her.

Hermione pulled back, trying to clear the fog that had blanketed over her senses. She had been so wrapped up in the moment that she hadn't thought of the repercussions of her actions. Now, looking at Draco's bewildered eyes, she felt a deep tug inside her chest.

"I can't-" she choked, stumbling away from him. "I'm sorry."

Hermione pushed past the spare broomsticks lying on the floor and stumbled to the door. She looked back one last time before the door shut, separating them with a strange finality. His pale, confused face burned into the underside of her eyelids.

Hermione was terrified. And not because of the deeper feelings she had felt from Draco's Link.

Because she had been about to say yes.


End file.
